Omaha-based Kiewit has been tapped to serve as construction manager for the $450 million overhaul of Memorial Stadium and is set to be awarded a contract for the initial phase of the job next week.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will vote Dec. 1 on a $1.8 million contract for Kiewit Building Group to manage construction of the estimated $34 million Phase 1, which involves needed infrastructure and mechanical work in the existing stadium.
Kiewit was selected from among six candidates in a competitive screening process earlier this year conducted by a panel made up of University of Nebraska-Lincoln athletic department officials and outside consultants.
One of the nation’s largest engineering firms, Kiewit is no stranger to University of Nebraska construction projects in both Omaha and Lincoln. The company is currently constructing the $110 million Kiewit Hall engineering building on the UNL campus, a project for which it provided the naming gift.
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“Kiewit is a longtime partner across the University of Nebraska and a great Nebraska company that we are excited to continue our partnership with,” said Chris Kabourek, the NU system senior vice president and CFO.
At the same meeting, regents will also take up the previously announced appointment of Kabourek to serve as acting university president during the search for a new one. President Ted Carter officially steps down Dec. 31 to assume leadership of Ohio State University.
UNL Athletic Director Trev Alberts in September announced plans for the ambitious Memorial Stadium overhaul intended to give fans more elbow room, enhance the game-day experience and ensure that the home of Husker football will remain structurally sound into its second century.
Plans call for half the $450 million to be raised privately, with an additional $100 million coming from athletic department revenues and $125 million from sources yet to be determined. Officials have said no university tuition or fee dollars will fund the project.
Kiewit was selected from among six applicant companies in a process that evaluated candidates based on their qualifications for the job, Kabourek said. The process was grounded in a previously approved Board of Regents policy.
The university in June convened a selection committee made up of Alberts, athletic department CFO Doug Ewald and two outside consultants: Stan Horrell, director of campus planning at Metropolitan Community College, and Janet Richardson-Whitson, a project manager and consultant in Omaha.
The panel reviewed and interviewed the six applicants and narrowed the selection to three finalists. Kiewit was selected after finalist interviews in August.
Kiewit and the university then negotiated a contract calling for a $1.8 million fee for the initial Phase 1 infrastructure work.
According to the contract, Kiewit as construction manager is to work with the university and design architect to determine project phasing and to prepare detailed estimates on costs and materials and equipment needed.
Once the university and its representatives accept the estimated costs and basis for them, construction can commence, either with Kiewit's own workforce or subcontractors.
Alberts has said it's hoped the infrastructure work will begin by early next year.
If the regents approve plans and funding for the rest of the project, the university and Kiewit will negotiate amendments to the contract for subsequent phases, Kabourek said.
Omaha-based HDR is providing design services.
The preliminary stadium plans approved by the regents in October call for total demolition of South Stadium beginning after the 2024 football season. It would be replaced by a new multiple-level grandstand featuring a new student section and concourse where students can gather and mingle, new premium seating with lounge areas, and general seating with chair backs.
Plans similarly call for outdated bench seating in the East and West Stadiums to be replaced with chairback seats, and restroom, concession and accessibility upgrades would occur throughout the stadium.
The improvements will also mean displacement of some 23,000 fans in South Stadium for at least one season beginning in 2025, plus a permanent reduction of the stadium’s seating capacity to the mid-70,000s.
Among other items on the regents agenda:
• Acceptance of a nearly $2 million gift from Omaha-based nonprofit Nebraska Philanthropic Trust for improvements at UNO’s Baxter Arena. The dollars will fund an addition on the east side of the facility providing more storage space.
• Approving plans for a $21 million training facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for air transport of patients with highly contagious infectious diseases.