WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the Department of the Navy is awarding H.V. Collins Company a $24,512,000 contract to build a new training facility for the Navy Supply Corps School, Naval Station in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), at the urging of Senator Reed and others, selected Rhode Island as the new site for the Navy Supply Corps School, which had previously been located in Athens, Georgia. This contract is the first phase of implementation and provides federal funding for the design, renovation, and addition to Building 1112 and the construction of 120 parking spaces. The building will house classrooms and administrative offices for the Marine Detachment.

"I am proud that Rhode Island was chosen as the new site for the Navy Supply Corps School. This federal contract will create 100 new jobs and highlights the contribution that Rhode Island's growing defense industry plays in creating jobs and new business," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, which oversees federal funding for the Department of the Navy's programs. "The decision to award this contract to H.V. Collins Company is a strong recognition of their professionalism and the strength and skills of Rhode Island's workforce."

H.V. Collins Company is based in Providence, Rhode Island and provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services.

Work will be performed in Newport and is expected to be completed by November 2009.