In support of the largest bond program in the history of the Austin Independent School District (AISD), STV’s program and construction management team is playing a key part in the delivery of a sweeping modernization program that aims to create more equity for tens of thousands of students in underserved areas.
STV, in a joint venture, will provide program and construction management (PM/CM) services for AISD’s $2.44-billion, five-year bond program, a historic investment that will impact the lives and education of more than 73,000 students.
“This contract win is a testament to the firm’s strong national portfolio that we are supporting the efforts outlined in such an unprecedented bond issue,” said Luis Delgado, MBA, CCM, PMP, president and leader of the firm’s national CM practice.
In contrast to traditional academic bond programs, the AISD emphasized an approach of “Equity by Design” – with overwhelming benefits to historically underserved students and communities: well-maintained facilities that support state-of-the-art instruction, cultural identities, modernization, and safety. The proposal was the result of community dialogues throughout 2019 which identified various needs in the District for systemic change.
For this 25-school project, STV and our joint venture partner are joining two other firms that are supporting the district’s previous five-year bond program.
“We’re bringing more than a century of expertise to the table,” said Aamir Butt, DE, P.E., STV senior program manager for large programs. “STV is establishing a strong presence in the region and expanding our ability to offer our talent and capabilities to serve ISD programs nationwide.”
To safeguard the Equity by Design program’s success, STV’s projects team is actively engaging with the community: from involvement with the community-led bond steering committee to collaboration with Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) on the projects themselves.
“STV is supporting AISD in its modernization effort with a comprehensive program approach that assembles the best talent in the industry, meeting the specific needs of each school project,” said Derek Messier, vice president and territory manager for the Midwest region CM services. “This is the first bond program of its kind, and we’re proud to support AISD’s effort to correct socioeconomic barriers with modern facilities.”