Tobyhanna Army Depot is the designated site for repairing and testing Marine Corps radars. To accommodate upcoming work on an AN/TPS-59 long-range air surveillance radar antenna, Tobyhanna needed to complete a series of multi-million dollar construction renovations. For this particular project, the government budgeted to equip the depot’s industrial complex with a new radome used for radar testing, but the initial estimates were well over budget. In addition, there was an accelerated schedule for engineering and permitting work that presented a challenge for completing construction of the radome within the fiscal year.

RETTEW worked closely with Tobyhanna and the prime contractor on a design-build team through several rounds of value engineering to lower costs more than $3 million and stay within budget. Our knowledgeable archaeologists and biologists, in combination with our design team, identified cost- and time-saving opportunities and delivered a cost-effective design. After close coordination with Tobyhanna, the prime construction contractor, and UXO technicians, the radome site was relocated to limit the area of disturbance and avoid unnecessary permitting that would have significantly delayed the project. Our comprehensive services, especially the value engineering we offered, allowed Tobyhanna to properly prepare for the arrival of the AN/TPS-59 radar antenna work.