$PRESS - Naval Air Station Pensacola Improvement - Sauer Construction

The pre-construction team at Sauer Construction is a small group, consisting of about three employees focused on winning work for the Jacksonville-based company. And focus they do: On average, the company is bidding on a federal contract every week, looking to do things that range from building barracks to replacing power poles to constructing flight line facilities.The company's win rate has made it one of the most successful defense contractors on the First Coast, with a number of major projects stretching across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. Sauer has been doing federal contracting for 32 years, growing into the largest division of Sauer Holdings, a Pittsburg-based company with a number of construction-related companies in its operation. The Jacksonville-based division focuses on federal work, mainly pursuing what are known as indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity multiple-award contracts that typically last about five years. These jobs require the company to compete first to be picked as one of the handful of companies assigned the initial contract and then to bid on each task order as work is required. Current master contracts include one with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command for the Southeast -- the Jackonville-based command that manages operations on Navy installations in a dozen states stretching from Charleston, South Carolina, to Corpus Christi, Texas, and south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- and for the Mid-Atlantic region, which covers Hampton Roads, Virginia, and other locations. Sauer also has a major contract covering work at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune, which this year led to a $19.3 million task order to repair the fitness center at the base. Other Sauer successes include: Beating out seven other companies to win a $25.7 million project to construct a flight line support facility at Naval Weapons Station, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, a project that will last into 2024. Receiving a task order for demolition, construction, and repair work associated with storm damage at Naval Air Station Pensacola. That task order was valued at $38.8 million when it was issued in early September and grew to $63.8 million a week later -- and if all the options on the contract are exercised, could make the job worth $85 million. Winning a contract to build a vehicle maintenance and storage facility at Camp Lejeune, a $20.7 million project that could grow to $22.4 million. And those were just the jobs the company won in September. Since fiscal year 2012, the company has had 111 contracts awarded, according to a federal database, with a total obligation of $1.26 billion. Wining those jobs requires a combination of a sharp pencil when it comes to bidding out work and a history of providing good value on projects, said Gary Weeks, vice president of the company's federal division. It also requires having good relationships with subcontractors -- something that has been even more vital during the past few years of turbulence in the construction industry, when workers and materials could be hard to come by. RECOMMENDED RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE Historic Oconomowoc house with indoor pool hits the market for $2.4M: Open House RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE Duluth home with views of Lake Superior lists for nearly $1.6M TECHNOLOGY How the Twitter layoffs will impact the Bay Area tech workforce "We've had some honest, frank conversations with them," Weeks said. "You know, 'if we go after this job, will you be able to support this job from a resource standpoint.'" Although having long-term relationships is important, Sauer is "always looking" for qualified small business contractors, a requirement for many of the federal contracts the company receives. "Anyone interested in performing this kind of work, we're certainly interested in talking to them," he said, with particularly needs in masonry, carpentry and drywall, depending on geography. So what has the company learned from its 30-plus years in the federal contracting business "It's not for the faint of heart," Weeks said with a laugh. In addition to the typical challenges of any construction project, federal work brings with it a raft of regulations, with nuances that take time to master. "Our project management teams and operations people -- this is what they do; they're totally attended to the federal government contract," he said. "You can't just take a commercial project manager and bring them over to the federal side of the house and expect them to know what to do." Before it gets to those managers and operations people, though, it starts with the small pre-construction team, the constant monitoring of federal contracting websites, the bidding on every job that the company thinks it can excel at. "That's the fuel," Weeks said, "that keeps it going."

Division 03 -	Concrete, Concrete Forming, Cast-in-Place Concrete, Precast Concrete.
Division 04 -	Masonry, Unit Masonry.
Division 05 -	Metals, Structural Metal Framing.
Division 06 -	Wood, Plastics, and Composites.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection, Dampproofing and Waterproofing, Thermal Protection, Weather Barriers.
Division 08 -	Openings, Doors and Frames, Coiling Doors and Grilles, Entrances and Storefronts, Windows, Special Function Windows, Security Windows, Access Control Hardware, Louvers and Vents.
Division 09 -	Finishes, Plaster and Gypsum Board, Tiling, Ceilings, Resilient Flooring, Carpeting, Acoustic Treatment, Painting.
Division 10 -	Specialties, Visual Display Units, Directories, Signage, Telephone Specialties, Compartments and Cubicles, Toilet Compartments, Emergency Aid Specialties, Fire Protection Specialties, Fire Protection Cabinets, Fire Extinguishers, Lockers, Storage Assemblies, Protective Covers, Flagpoles, Pest Control Devices, Flags and Banners, Security Mirrors and Domes.
Division 11 -	Equipment, Loading Dock Equipment, Loading Dock Bumpers, Stationary Loading Dock Equipment, Portable Dock Equipment, Loading Dock Lights, Foodservice Equipment, Foodservice Storage Equipment, Food Preparation Equipment, Food Cooking Equipment, Food Dispensing Equipment, Ice Machines, Cleaning and Disposal Equipment.
Division 12 -	Furnishings, Art, Casework, Seating.
Division 14 -	Conveying Equipment.
Division 21 -	Fire Suppression, Instrumentation and Control for Fire-Suppression Systems, Fire-Extinguishing Systems.
Division 22 -	Plumbing, Instrumentation and Control for Plumbing, Plumbing Piping, Plumbing Equipment, Plumbing Fixtures, Drinking Fountains and Water Coolers.
Division 23 -	Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Instrumentation and Control for HVAC.
Division 25 -	Integrated Automation.
Division 26 -	Electrical, Instrumentation and Control for Electrical Systems, Packaged Generator Assemblies, Engine Generators, Interior Lighting, Emergency Lighting, Exit Signs, Exterior Lighting, Lighting Poles and Standards, Parking Lighting, Site Lighting, Walkway Lighting, Flood Lighting.
Division 27 -	Communications, Structured Cabling, Data Communications, Voice Communications, Audio-Video Communications, Distributed Audio-Video Communications Systems, Paging Systems, Public Address Systems, Intercommunications and Program Systems.
Division 28 -	Electronic Safety and Security.
Division 31 -	Earthwork, Site Clearing, Grading, Soil Treatment.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Asphalt Paving, Rigid Paving, Concrete Paving, Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks, and Driveways, Paving Specialties, Parking Bumpers, Speed Bumps, Pavement Markings, Tactile Warning Surfacing, Fences and Gates.
Division 33 -	Utilities, Water Utilities, Sanitary Sewerage Utilities, Storm Drainage Utilities, Storm Utility Drainage Piping, Storm Utility Water Drains, Storm Drainage Structures.
Division 41 -	Material Processing and Handling Equipment, Conveyors.