U.S. Navy Exercises Option for Advantech

SAN DIEGO, July 11, 2012 – The U.S. Navy has exercised an option authorizing Advantech to continue implementing a contract providing a dozen hospital construction experts to augment Navy staff as part of the new $451 million naval hospital at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Jack Fraser, P.E., Advantech president/CEO, made the announcement.

The stimulus hospital project, the largest the Navy has under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will replace the current hospital, built in 1974. Thousands of engineers, construction workers, architects, military and civilian contractors have contributed to the project which recently passed the halfway mark. Lessons learned from other projects have also guided current success.

"The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest team extensively researched lessons learned from over 20 hospital visits, to include the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Maryland), Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (Virginia), Palomar Pomerado Hospital (California), Las Vegas VA (Nevada) and both the UCSD and UCLA hospitals in California. The choice to augment the Navy field team with contracted expertise was a clear step in the right direction to provide flexibility and specific skill sets when needed, while providing proficiencies in areas that NAVFAC normally does not possess. The composite organization now provides a blended team of employees familiar with NAVFAC business procedures, Camp Pendleton specific organizational knowledge, hospital construction and design, medical gas, hospital commissioning and proficiency in OSHPD certification for California. Although not required to be OSHPD certified, many aspects of the hospital design were required to meet the stringent requirements of the California safety code for seismic design," said Cmdr. Whit H. Robinson, NAVFAC Southwest Resident Officer in Charge (ROICC), Replacement Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

The new facility, expected to open in 2014, will feature open spaces for natural light and includes a central atrium. There will also be a reflection and meditation area that will have a wall inscribed with the names of Medal of Honor recipients. The new hospital is part of a 70-acre site that will also have a central utilities plant, a 1,500 space multi-level parking structure, with an additional 1,500 outside surface parking, and associated supporting facilities.

According to Fraser, his staff has been coordinating with the Navy since February; they comprise professional engineers, inspectors, technicians (including medical gas inspectors), and safety professionals. Advantech continues to provide civil/electrical/mechanical/structural engineering services as well as architecture and interior design consultation. The staff augmentation consists of 12 professionals overall to support the ROICC (Resident Officer in Charge of Construction) at Camp Pendleton.

"We're honored to continue to be a part of this project that will help so many military families," said Fraser.

Media queries and information concerning the Replacement Naval Hospital please call Jesse A. Lora.

Advantech queries call Neal Leavitt, Leavitt Communications at (760) 639-2900 neal@leavcom.com.

Stay current with the project milestones by resources and websites below. Clark/McCarthy website, Camp Pendleton website, Camp Pendleton Facebook, and the Naval Hospital Camp

MCB Camp Pendleton - http://1.usa.gov/q58Zg5
MCB Facebook - http://on.fb.me/hIVwdZ
Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton website- https://cpen.med.navy.mil/
Clark/McCarthy website - http://www.clarkmccarthycamppendleton.com/

Naval Facilities Engineering Command: The Facilities and Expeditionary Combat Systems Command

NAVFAC is the Systems Command that delivers and maintains quality, sustainable facilities, acquires and manages capabilities for the Navy's expeditionary combat forces, provides contingency engineering response, and enables energy security and environmental stewardship. Additional updates and information about NAVFAC can be found on social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Become a Fan at www.facebook.com/navfac and follow us at www.twitter.com/navfac

About Advantech

Advantech GS Enterprises (www.agse.us) is a San Diego-based multi-disciplinary Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) company providing engineering, environmental and construction management, construction materials testing, and staff augmentation services to support government requirements. Advantech is certified as a HUBZone Small Business by the Small Business Administration and as a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) and a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) by the State of California.

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