Ready, set, bid: Titans launch 3-year stadium construction timeline, call for proposals
Nashvillians could see construction on a new, enclosed Tennessee Titans stadium begin as early as Spring 2024.
The team and their construction management partner Tennessee Builders Alliance kicked off the construction phase of the $2.1 billion project on Oct. 19 with presentations to around 1,000 tradespeople, builders, and contractors at the team's current home, Nissan Stadium.
Construction of the 60,000-seat, 1.8 million-square-foot building is expected to be complete by Spring 2027.
A flood of bid packages will be released and awarded over the next seven months, spanning site preparation, construction trailers, waste management, janitorial services, plumbing, electrical, finishes, and everything in between. The exterior skin of the stadium alone will encompass more than 1 million square feet of glass, roofing, and metal panels that will need to be waterproofed and caulked.
More than half of the contracts are expected to be awarded by the close of the first quarter in 2024.
'Huge focus' on awarding 25% of contracts to minority, women-owned businesses
The team and Tennessee Builders Alliance set a 25% target for contracts awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses. The alliance has further pledged to prioritize local businesses, goods and labor when awarding construction and vendor contracts.
That goal is just that — a goal — not a contractual obligation. This detail and the historic public funding contribution to the new stadium build were among the more unpopular elements of the stadium deal, which received final approval from Nashville's council in April.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, who opposed the stadium deal as a council member and featured his opposition heavily in his mayoral campaign, attended the Oct. 19 kickoff event and said it's time for Nashville to focus on securing the best outcome moving forward.
"Now we're turning our attention to the opportunity side. So tonight, for instance, hearing them say out loud, 'We have a 25% (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) target,' that's important," O'Connell told The Tennessean. "We want as many jobs to be Nashville-based jobs (as possible) … we want to hit that DBE target and hit it with as many local companies as we can."
The Metro Nashville Sports Authority approved a construction management agreement with Tennessee Builders Alliance, a collection of businesses with national sports experience, on Oct. 19. The alliance comprises Turner Construction Company, Hunt Construction Group Inc. (AECOM Hunt), Polk & Associates Construction Inc. and I.C.F. Builders & Consultants Inc.
The group will host office hours and briefings on bid packages over the coming weeks, and assistance will be available to businesses new to using the submission system. More information and dates for future events can be found at tnbuildersalliance.com.
"We want to make sure that we're giving our trade partners, our diverse and DBE partners, opportunity to review the plans, understand the plans, understand what their trade packages could be and make sure that we've got an opportunity to match them up with the prime contractors that may ultimately be holding the contract," Turner Construction Vice President and General Manager Paul Lawson said. "That will be a huge focus for us in the coming weeks."
Titans Chief External and League Affairs Officer Adolpho Birch said the team and the alliance will also work directly with the Metro Nashville Business Assistance Office, which administers the Equal Business Opportunity Program, to use their business databases for additional outreach.
Diversity in design phase
Metro Sports Authority Board member Melvin Gill questioned the process for awarding contracts during the project's design phase.
"I have been personally disappointed in the fact that this process seems exclusive, rather than inclusive," Gill said during the Oct. 20 board meeting. He said a business told him that they were dropped from the running because the Titans preferred another firm. Outreach for the design process wasn't sufficient enough, Gill said.
Birch said the Titans "fundamentally disagree" with this assessment, and said the more than 28% DBE achievement in the design phase of the project indicates that the process was inclusive — something he said can be difficult to achieve in design thanks to tight timelines and the carryover of companies who worked to shape early plans during the negotiation process.
Design is a small slice of the massive construction project, Birch added.
Stadium build timeline
July 31, 2023, through January 26, 2024: Design development phase
March 18, 2024, through May 31, 2024: Documents are finalized for the stadium's guaranteed maximum price
Spring 2024: More than half of the construction contracts will be awarded; construction administration begins
End of 2023 NFL season: Mobilization and preparatory work (like establishing office trailers on the construction site)
February/March 2024: Stadium earthwork and excavation
February or March 2027: Completion of stadium
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New Titans stadium: Team launches 3-year construction timeline
