Maryland confirmed as pick for new FBI headquarters

By Jennifer Shutt, William J. Ford, Danielle E. Gaines

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new headquarters will be in Maryland, a significant victory for the state following years of jockeying against Virginia and debate throughout several presidencies about where best to locate the law enforcement agency.

The General Services Administration picked the Greenbelt site Wednesday over the Springfield, Virginia, and Landover options, according to a source with knowledge confirming the GSA’s decision to Maryland Matters and States Newsroom.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a written statement to States Newsroom and Maryland Matters that “GSA looks forward to building the FBI a state-of-the-art headquarters campus in Greenbelt to advance their critical mission for years to come.”

“Thank you to everyone at GSA, DOJ, FBI, Congress, and others who helped reach this important milestone after a comprehensive, multi-year effort,” Carnahan said.

A spokesperson for the federal agency said in a written statement that “GSA determined Greenbelt to be the best site because it was the lowest cost to taxpayers, provided the greatest transportation access to FBI employees and visitors, and gave the government the most certainty on project delivery schedule.

“It also provided the highest potential to advance sustainability and equity,” the spokesperson said.

The Washington Post originally reported the decision.

The Maryland congressional delegation along with several other officials, including Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) said in a written statement that the decision is a “historic moment” for the FBI and the country.

“Our decades-long, bipartisan effort to bring the Maryland sites’ many merits to the GSA’s attention was never about politics,” they wrote. “It was always about making the case for what is best for the FBI, our region, and the country.”

Virginia Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a written statement they’re “deeply disappointed that despite the clear case that Virginia is the best home for the FBI, the Administration went a different direction.”

“We spent years appropriately criticizing the last Administration for politicizing the new FBI headquarters — only for a new Administration to come in and allow politics to taint the selection process,” Warner and Kaine said.

Virginia Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly said in a written statement that he was not given a heads-up about the decision.

“In making this decision, GSA has shamelessly caved to political pressure, putting blatant politics over the merits and amending the weighting of long-established criteria to make this decision all but predictable,” Connolly wrote.

“While Virginia’s loss is also the FBI’s, GSA’s reputation for objective procurement free from politics has taken a mortal hit today from which it will struggle to recover for years into the future,” Connolly added.

Congress will still need to provide funding for construction, which is expected to take several years to complete.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation will be moving from its current headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The J. Edgar Hoover building, which opened in 1974, puts the FBI between the White House and the U.S. Capitol on a street that presidents often walk down during their Inauguration parades.

Nearly two decades ago, in 2005, the FBI’s Asset Management Plan indicated the agency would soon need a new headquarters, given the building’s structural and space issues.

Plans progressed slowly during the latter years of the Obama administration, but the Trump administration tried to keep the FBI in its existing location with reports alleging former President Donald Trump didn’t want the site potentially sold to a rival hotel.

Plans to move the FBI headquarters to the suburbs outside of Washington, D.C. began moving forward again during the Biden administration.

The Maryland and Virginia delegations pitched their states to the GSA in March, a provision that was required in a government spending package.

The GSA considered five criteria in picking the new location, including FBI mission requirements, access to transportation, site development flexibility, sustainability and equity, and cost.

FBI mission requirements included the distance to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia as well as the U.S. Department of Justice in downtown Washington, D.C.

The GSA weighted each of the categories, though it changed that criteria in July.

Proximity to the FBI mission-related locations moved from 35% to 25%, transportation access moved from 25% to 20%, site development flexibility stayed at 15%, sustainability and equity increased from 15% to 20% and cost increased from 10% to 20%.

Maryland officials react

The “Team Maryland” statement from congressional, state and county leaders said the failing infrastructure at the Hoover Building was no longer serving the FBI’s operational needs, “which has undermined our national security.”

“The once fabled building has crumbled before our eyes, with nets surrounding the facility for years to protect pedestrians from falling debris. Today’s decision by the General Services Administration (GSA) will ensure we fulfill the FBI’s dire, longstanding need for a new consolidated headquarters that meets the modern-day demands on the Bureau’s work to protect Americans and our nation,” the statement continued. “…We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure the FBI has the best possible headquarters in the quickest timeframe so that we can facilitate a smooth transition to Prince George’s County. We look forward to building a strong, productive partnership with the Bureau and its staff.”

Alsobrooks held a Zoom press briefing Wednesday night and praised Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) as “a leader” in the long effort. The county executive also said equity played a major part in the GSA’s decision.

For the last 15 years, the county executive said the federal government invested $460 billion in Virginia compared to $120 billion in Prince George’s.

“There’s a huge difference between equity and diversity. Virginia was very confused,” she said. “[Virginia officials talked] about counting heads, how many Black or brown people live in a jurisdiction. When we talked about equity, we’re talking about the investments that were made, how many federal dollars were spent in one jurisdiction versus another.”

She continued: “We know that these investments do yield income and allow for job growth to happen,” Alsobrooks said. “What we were saying is that we wanted to be able to grow our county in our state, and to have this important job center come down to Prince George’s County.”

Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George’s), who was part of Hoyer’s staff between 2014 and 2021, praised his former boss.

“A big congratulations to Congressman Steny Hoyer for quarterbacking this over three presidential administrations, multiple GSA leads and FBI leads at the top of their departments,” Lewis said. “This is the right message to send for equity in the region as far as the placement of facilities. I’m very happy it is landing in gorgeous Prince George’s.”

Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan, who was top vote-getter in Tuesday night’s election, said the city represents the best location that includes being in walking distance of a Metro station.

“We have the capacity to accommodate the project, which would create jobs [and] provide a boost to our local economy and attract retail and commercial businesses to Prince George’s County,” he said. “We’re very excited to hear that the GSA and the FBI have finally made a decision.”

This article originally appeared in the Maryland Matters on November 10th, 2023.  

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State contracting with 20 firms for $415M law enforcement training project

BY: SAM STOCKARD - OCTOBER 12, 2023 

Tennessee is hiring nearly 20 contractors to build a massive $415 million law enforcement training center on state property in Cockrill Bend.

State officials broke ground recently at the 600-acre site, located near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution where Death Row inmates are housed in north Nashville, joined by law enforcement leaders from across the state. 

Department of Correction and Department of Safety and Homeland Security offices will be housed there, along with training facilities for state troopers and officers, including dorms, a driving track and K-9 kennels.

“This site represents one of the best examples of inter-agency cooperation Tennessee has ever seen,” Brandon Gibson, chief operating officer for Gov. Bill Lee, said at a recent ceremony. “It represents the future of law enforcement training in Tennessee, and this site represents the governor’s and the General Assembly’s dedication to law enforcement in this state.”

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both members of the State Building Commission, supported the project, and Gov. Bill Lee credited their backing with helping fund it. Sexton noted it provides a “long-term vision” for the future of law enforcement training.

Lee said he started touring law enforcement training facilities statewide to check on conditions after he took office nearly five years ago.

“I remember walking through facilities where tiles were missing and 40-year-old bathrooms and bunk rooms that I wouldn’t want to stay in, and I got a vision that day, almost four and a half years ago that we needed to do something different,” Lee said.

Though the governor appeared to take responsibility for birthing the project, the Department of General Services started work on the law enforcement training center as early as 2017, if not earlier, before Lee won his first election.

I’m not a big supporter of it because of the nature of it, but I do support our police officers in training because I believe this is going to be a combination with the FBI.

– Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville

Only about five state lawmakers turned out for the groundbreaking ceremony two weeks ago, none of them representing Davidson County.

Democratic state Rep. Vincent Dixie, whose district contains the property, said he received an email blast inviting lawmakers shortly after the governor’s special session on public safety ended but that it wasn’t the normal protocol and he didn’t see it and, thus, didn’t attend. The governor’s office usually calls lawmakers to invite them to a special event in their district, he noted.

Dixie has mixed emotions about the project. He wants to avoid a “Cops City” such as the center built in Atlanta, and he believes officers should go through “cultural sensitivity” as well as technical training.

“I’m not a big supporter of it because of the nature of it, but I do support our police officers in training because I believe this is going to be a combination with the FBI,” Dixie said.

Besides the law enforcement training center, the Lee Administration put $150 million into a violent crime prevention fund, $60 million toward state trooper bonuses and funding to hire 200 more highway patrolmen.

A portion of the property lies within the floodplain of the Cumberland River, but the state doesn’t plan to construct any major buildings in those areas, and other steps are being taken to minimize the impact of a potential flood, according to Parks.

Contractors lined up

The state opted to go with multiple construction managers based on efficiency and risk management. It also hired several design firms because of the size of the job and specialized components such as housing, dining, infrastructure, and various simulated training areas that required certain knowledge.

Breaking the project into “smaller sub-projects” allows the state to evaluate designers and construction managers for each section, said Michelle Sandes Parks, a spokeswoman for the Department of General Services.

The method also allows the state to bring in the contractor earlier to help with design elements such as “constructability,” obtaining materials, putting together estimates and scheduling to minimize risks on timing and costs, she said.

Environmental consulting: $750,000

Environmental remediation: $1.5 million

Survey services: $475,000

Design and contingency: $19.2 million

Consultant services: $2.5 million

Commissioning: $1.5 million

Preconstruction: $1.08

State’s equipment: $9

State furniture fixtures: $17.25

Moving services: $1.02

Technology/phone: $8.3 million

Audio/video equipment: $3.37 million

Security: $4.65 million

Administration: $41.9

“In the end, there is no guarantee that a single construction manager or even the use of a different delivery method would cost the state less,” Parks said in a statement.

Kline Swinney Associates is slated to do the master planning and coordination for the entire project while EnSafe Environmental is conducting environmental studies and testing along with Smith Seckman Reid (SSRCx), which is involved in commissioning and testing.

The state is using what is called a construction manager method for the project, a situation in which the state negotiates a cost with a contractor, which then works with the designer to complete the job, taking on a bit more risk. Because of the project’s magnitude, construction managers are being used on every facet.

The construction cost is $287.8 million, but the total cost includes several other factors. (See box at right.) 

The state put $23 million in the fiscal 2021-22 budget and $355.6 million in the fiscal 2022-23 budget for the project. Another $5 million is coming out of Department of General Services operating funds and $31.5 million is coming out of a reserve fund.

The Department of General Services was unable to provide a breakdown for the amount it will be paying each contractor.

• AECOM and Barge Civil Associates will handle design for infrastructure and site work, and Environmental Abatement Inc. is doing demolition work. No construction manager has been hired for that part of the work.
• Kline Swinney Associates will design a firing range complex, and Reeves + Young was approved for construction management. The company was involved in work at the police training facility in Atlanta called Cop City, which has been under protest by groups opposed to building a large law enforcement training complex in a wooded area there.
• TMPartners is designing the training academy building, and Turner Construction is the construction management contractor for that part of the project.
• Earl Swensson Associates is designing the housing, dining and kennel building, and Hoar Construction is the construction management contractor for that part of the project.
• The Pickering Firm is doing design work for a track on which to train emergency vehicle operators. The construction management contractor hasn’t been hired.
• Anecdote Architectural Experiences will design the headquarters building, and Messer Construction will be the construction manager. 

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Originally published on October 12th, 2023, in Tennessee Lookout

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On social media, visit me on 

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