JEA locks $329m in CMAR contracts for wastewater expansion and reuse upgrades

JEA locks $329m in CMAR contracts for wastewater expansion and reuse upgradesJacksonville Energy Authority’s board has approved final guaranteed maximum price packages for the Blacks Ford and Arlington East water reclamation facility projects. The approvals advance a doubling of Blacks Ford’s treatment capacity and a major expansion of Arlington East’s reclaimed-water infrastructure.

The board unanimously approved a $171.1 million final GMP for PC Construction’s Blacks Ford WRF expansion, taking the CMAR contract value to $185.0 million.

Blacks Ford will expand from 6 mgd to 12 mgd; JEA said final construction costs were $12.2 million below the baseline estimate.

Wharton-Smith received a $117.3 million final GMP for Arlington East WRF high-level disinfection, increasing its contract to $144.3 million.

Arlington East will increase reclaimed-water capacity from 8 mgd to 25 mgd; the total project is estimated at $165 million including design, construction services and internal project management.

Both projects use an open-book CMAR approach, with remaining contingencies and allowances cost-reimbursable while direct and indirect costs move to fixed prices.

Jacksonville Energy Authority has approved final guaranteed maximum price packages for two major water reclamation projects, authorising nearly $288.5 million in new construction commitments and establishing combined CMAR contract values of about $329.3 million. The board unanimously approved Resolution 2026-39, authorising a $171.135 million final work package for PC Construction’s Blacks Ford Water Reclamation Facility expansion. The approval raises the contractor’s maximum indebtedness to $185.041 million, including pre-construction and early works. The project will double Blacks Ford’s capacity from 6 million gallons per day to 12 mgd. PC Construction was selected as construction manager at risk in March 2025, while an early works package was approved in April 2026. That package covered mobilisation, site set-up, preloading, under-slab piping at the biological nutrient removal basin, and procurement of odour-control and screening equipment. General Joseph DiSalvo, chair of JEA’s Capital Projects Committee, told the board that a $3.5 million allowance included in the initial GMP for critical headworks work would be deducted, reducing that initial package to about $13.2 million. He said project construction costs had fallen by $12.2 million from the baseline through market-value cost reductions, lower general conditions and requirements, and negotiated contingency and allowance reallocations. The board also unanimously approved a $117.346 million final GMP package for Wharton-Smith’s Arlington East Water Reclamation Facility high-level disinfection project. The action increases Wharton-Smith’s CMAR contract value to $144.301 million. JEA said the Arlington East works will produce higher-quality reclaimed water for the future Arlington East Water Purification Facility and raise reclaimed-water capacity from 8 mgd to 25 mgd. Early works, approved in April, included site clearing and rough grading, long-lead electrical equipment procurement, disk-filter selection, an effluent transfer pump-station structure, and shoring for the effluent transfer, non-potable-water pump station and UV facilities. According to the Capital Projects Committee report, the Arlington East construction cost fell by $18.4 million from the CMAR contractor’s 60% estimate. JEA attributed the reduction to design changes including elimination of new effluent pumps, filter canopies and flow-meter vaults, alongside a roadway redesign removing curb-and-gutter work. The utility also cited owner-direct purchasing for major equipment and materials, design reviews that removed non-essential equipment, and revised standards that maintained required performance. JEA estimates the overall Arlington East project at about $165 million when design, construction services and internal project management are included. For both projects, JEA staff said subcontractor bids and CMAR self-performance costs had been reviewed for competitiveness. Contingencies and allowances will remain open-book and cost-reimbursable, while direct and indirect costs will be converted to fixed prices under the approved amendments.