Afghan Ministry of Defense Headquarters: $154.7 Million Building Appears Well Built, but Has Several Construction Issues that Should Be Assessed
Abstract
WHAT SIGAR REVIEWED On April 21, 2009, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), previously the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, awarded a $48.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc. (ITSI) to construct a Ministry of Defense (MOD) headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. ITSI was to complete the building by October 11, 2010. After 14 modifications, the contract cost was raised to $107.3 million. By November 2013, ITSI had requested an additional $24.7 million to finish the project. However, due to a lack of available funds, construction work was halted on December 31, 2013.On July 30, 2014, AFCEC awarded Gilbane Federalthe new corporate name for ITSIa second $47.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to complete the MOD headquarters building by July 31, 2015.The five-story building included, among other things, a national command center, administration space, dining facilities, bathrooms, secure garage, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a waste water treatment plant, and a heating/cooling system.Since the building is located in an active seismic zone, a key part of its design was the separation into seven sections to avoid the transfer of forces from one section to the other. The separation joints between sections were designed to be complete breaks in the floors, walls, and ceilings that divide the building into discrete sections.The objectives of this inspection were to assess whether (1) construction was completed in accordance with contract requirements and applicable construction standards, and (2) the building was being used as intended and maintained.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1003586
Entities
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction