Exclusive    Randy Tharp, Epstein Romania: The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense project will definitely give a boost to the Romanian construction market

2012-06-18 17:26:53

“The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense project is certainly an exciting project for Romania”, Randy Tharp (photo), managing director of Epstein Architecture and Engineering stated recently, regarding the planned NATO Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Base in Deveselu, Romania. According to the manager, “The size of the project and scope of construction work required will definitely give a boost to the Romanian construction market, employing hundreds of local construction workers and local firms.  It is good to see that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), who will manage the project for the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency, has decided to break the entire project scope up into two prime contracts.” As majority of the construction work performed on the site will need to utilize local labor, all local bulk materials such as concrete, stone, bricks, steel, “there should be a lot of opportunity for local construction firms, material suppliers and support vendor to participate in the project, “ Tharp stated.
Epstein is a U.S.–based firm with a Romanian office and over 5 years of construction experience in this market on some of the larger private construction projects undertaken in the last couple of years. According o the company background,  Epstein has a history of working with the USACE Europe District on projects.
In February, 2010, Romania agreed to host the SM-3 missiles starting 2015. The Romanian elements of the anti-missile shield will be located at a former airbase in Deveselu, in Olt County, southern Romanian. The cost of the implementations is believed to reach 400 million USD, plus a further 20 million USD annually for system operations.