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The award of the construction manager-general contractor contract for the $60 million School of Business Administration expansion and renovation project at Portland State University is on hold, according to PSU Communications Manager John Kirkland.

That is because Howard S. Wright has filed a protest against the State Board of Higher Education after it issued in December a notice of intent to award the CM-GC contract to Skanska USA Building.

If Skanska were awarded the contract, it would work with SRG Partnership Inc., which in January signed its contract to design the building expansion. German firm Behnisch Architekten will partner with SRG, according to PSU.

“We are enthusiastically awaiting the finalization of our contact with PSU, after which we will be able to discuss the project details more freely,” Nathan Gibson, Skanska vice president of business development, said via email.

Howard S. Wright representatives could not be reached for comment.

The project calls for expanding the existing 52,000-square-foot building by 42,000 square feet. Also, the Graduate School of Education, which shares the building with the School of Business Administration, will relocate, freeing 53,000 additional square feet.

The $60 million project is being paid for with $40 million of state-backed bonds and $20 million of private contributions. The bond request was approved by the Oregon Legislature in July 2013. Private fundraising is about 80 percent complete, according to PSU.

University officials estimate ground to be broken in January 2015 and the expanded building to open by fall 2016.