Staff Report
Thursday July 23, 2009

Jafza South Carolina has winnowed to five the civil engineering firms from which it will request proposals for infrastructure construction for the first phase of its Orangeburg County logistics park.

The firms, in alphabetical order, are:

• AECOM
• Alliance Consulting Engineers
• Arcadis
• BP Barber
• Seamon, Whiteside and Associates

Company spokeswoman Tara Robertson said the plan is to break ground on the horizontal phase of the development early next year. The chosen company will be responsible for the planning and implementing of road improvements, sewer upgrades and other necessary infrastructure work.

Jafza hopes to have its first tenant secured by 2011. “If we have one before then, that’s gravy for us,” she said.

In 2007, Jafza acquired more than 1,300 acres in Orangeburg County for a logistics, warehouse, light manufacturing and multiuse commercial complex. Details on Phase 1 are being revised. Once they are finalized, the RFP will be issued to the selected firms.

In February, Jafza requested that civil engineering firms provide their qualifications for design, permitting and construction administrations of the first phase. More than 20 firms responded to the request.

“All of the civil engineering firms that submitted a qualifications packet had excellent credentials,” said Clint Murphy, Jafza’s vice president of engineering and operations. “The competition was tough and we feel confident in the firms chosen to potentially develop the first phase of our project.”