On Thursday, the joint venture Mortenson | Messer Construction Co moved closer to obtaining the Nashville MLS stadium construction contract.
In a vote taken on Thursday, the Nashville Sports Authority’s board of directors approved an intent to award the $167.5 million construction manager contract to Mortenson | Messer Construction Co, a joint venture between Minneapolis-based Mortenson and Nashville-based Messer Construction Co. Negotiations between the venture and the city will have to be completed in order to finalize the contract, which would allow Mortenson | Messer to oversee construction of a new stadium at The Faigrounds Nashville for the city’s upcoming MLS expansion franchise.
A protest from another bidder had previously led to the authority deferring discussions with Mortenson | Messer, but Thursday’s vote allows the process to move forward. More from The Tennessean:
The joint venture — a combination of Minneapolis-based Mortenson and Nashville-based Messer Construction Co. — in August received the highest score among four finalists for the contract according to a rubric as part of the city’s bidding process.
But another finalist for the coveted construction contract, Barton Malow Co., had protested Metro’s decision, prompting the sports authority to defer engaging Mortenson | Messer Construction Co. last month.
Michelle Hernandez-Lane, the city’s purchasing agent, upheld the procurement decision at an Aug. 29 meeting. The firm had seven days to appeal, but chose not to. A third company, Skanska | AECOM Hunt, had contemplated appealing, but did not follow though
Nashville Sports Authority Director Monica Fawknotson said the plan is to bring a final contract back to the board after all terms are completed.
Backed by a group that is led by John Ingram, the Nashville MLS expansion team will eventually move into the new stadium at The Fairgrounds Nashville that is being planned as part of a $275 million project. Construction on the new stadium is scheduled to begin in 2019, with the facility expected to open in 2021. The Nashville MLS expansion club will begin play in 2020, and is seeking a home venue for that season.
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