Friday — May 14, 2004

Hailey firm scores third contract in Iraq

Power Engineers helping to return power to Iraqis

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By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

Power Engineers Inc., a leading U.S. provider of engineering services with offices in Boise and Hailey, has been awarded a third contract to provide engineering for the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program, managed by the Coalition Provisional Authority’s Program Management Office in Iraq.

Power Engineers is working as a subcontractor to Perini Corporation, a century-old civil infrastructure contractor. The three Iraq contracts awarded to Perini now total $1.5 billion.

Company officials said the goal is two-fold, to provide engineering services to restore the country’s power transmission infrastructure and to train Iraqis to take over management of the system.

The CPA is the interim body governing the country until a democratically elected government is established. This latest contract is the fourth in a series of ongoing U. S. government contracts awarded to the company for infrastructure improvements abroad. The work is to be performed over a base period of two years with options for three additional years.

As coalition forces strive to return control of the country to the Iraqi people, the new contract provides incentives to contractors who train Iraqis to take over the projects.

Perini is the prime contractor for all the projects involving Power Engineers awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through U.S. Central Command.

"By selecting Perini and Power, the CPA is receiving a design-build team that already has invaluable experience in Iraq," said Bill Eisinger, a Power Engineers vice president and manager of the company’s Transmission & Distribution Engineering group. "Our engineers and field staff who have been working on projects from our previous contracts in Iraq understand the special conditions of this situation. We’re excited to help the Iraqi people develop their technical and management skills to be self-sufficient."

The work first took Power Engineers employees to Afghanistan. This year reconstruction in Iraq has become a staple. Engineers are completing work designing power transmission towers, which were vandalized after President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in the country over one year ago.

Under its current contracts, Power has provided engineering for 360 kilometers of a 400-kV transmission line, three power generation plants, and several electrical substations.

Power will provide engineering for electrical transmission, distribution, communications, and controls work to help build up Iraq’s power supply infrastructure throughout southern Iraq.

Power Engineers is a global consulting engineering firm specializing in energy, facilities, and communications projects. Founded in 1976, Power is an employee-owned company with offices throughout the United States and abroad.

Boise-based Washington Group was also awarded a CPA contract this month bringing Idaho well into the reconstruction of Iraq.

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