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Portland-based Fortis Construction Inc. has landed a $13.4 million contract to provide construction manager-general contractor services for the new OSU-Cascades campus in Bend. The contract includes preconstruction and construction for site development, including utilities, roads, grading, parking and landscaping, as well as a 45,000-square-foot academic building, said Jane Barker, senior project manager for OSU-Cascades.

Four other bids came from Andersen Construction, Lease Crutcher Lewis, Howard S. Wright – a Balfour Beatty company, and a partnership between Skanska USA Building and Walsh Construction Co., according to Barker.

Fortis benefited from experience that includes construction at Oregon State University‘s Corvallis campus and for Facebook in Prineville, Barker said.

“All the contractors were at a very high level,” she said. “(Fortis) has higher education construction experience and recent OSU experience at the campus in Corvallis. They also have a presence in Central Oregon and really spoke to the importance of supporting the Central Oregon subcontracting community.”

As CM-GC, Fortis will join a project team that includes Portland-based Boora Architects and Walker Macy, and Bend-based BBT Architects.

The project is on hold for a 120-day site plan review, Barker said. Fortis in the next two to four weeks will begin preconstruction work, including cost estimation and evaluation of schematic designs; however, it will hold off on design development and construction documents until review is completed.