Balfour Beatty Lands $581M Contract in Texas

By Barbra Murray

Leo Quinn, group chief executive & executive director, Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty landed a contract with the Texas Facilities Commission to serve as the construction manager-agent for the first phase of the State of Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan, a $581 million office and promenade project in Austin.

Balfour will advise TFC on the various aspects of the construction process for the Page Southerland Page-designed initial phase of the Capitol Complex, including planning, design, procurement, construction and commissioning. It’s no simple undertaking. Separated into six packages, Phase One of the development will include a 603,000-square-foot office tower at 1801 Congress Ave., and a 416,000-square-foot office building with the address of 1601 Congress Ave. Additionally a five-level parking facility will be built underneath both office structures, which will be home to state employees currently occupying leased space. Balfour Beatty’s responsibilities for the three-block inaugural phase of the Capitol Complex will also include the pedestrian-oriented Texas Mall, excavations, utility relocations and central utility plant tunnels.

“The bold program for the State of Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan Phase One envisions a living symbol of independence and opportunity, two qualities synonymous with the Texan experience,” Chris Davis, vice president with Balfour Beatty, said in a prepared statement.

Ground broke on Phase One of the Capitol Complex in September. TFC expects to complete the project in July 2020.

Busy Year for Balfour

Balfour Beatty has piled quite a bit on its plate in 2017. Earlier this year, the company was chosen to serve as construction manager for the $100 million, 500,000-square-foot update and expansion of Cleburne High School in suburban Fort Worth, Texas. Just last month, the general contractor secured a $260 million contract to build the 2 million-square-foot River Landing Shops and Residences in Miami. In a design-build joint venture with Fluor Corp., Balfour Beatty won the bid to spearhead the $625 million Southern Gateway reconstruction and improvement project for the Texas Department of Transportation. Balfour Beatty’s parent company, London-based Balfour Beatty plc, is confident that there’s more to come.

“The fact that we’ve got a £700 million ($922 million) business that is actually equipped to deliver infrastructure and that we’re bringing on joint venture partners says that we’re in a very good place to take the right business at the right time on the right terms. So we’re excited about the U.S.,” Leo Quinn, group chief executive & executive director with Balfour Beatty plc, said during the company’s half-year earnings presentation on August 16. Balfour Beatty’s total 2016 U.S. revenue was $4.6 billion.

Photo courtesy of Balfour Beatty