Contractors Line Up for Piece of $15-Bil Pie

Trenton-Anytime a state has this much money to spend on something, there have to be some political overtones, and that is indeed the case for the $15-billion worth of construction work New Jersey is floating for school construction.

Indeed, the nine contractors that have emerged in pursuit of the work are a who’s who of companies that have been active on the political scene in recent years as campaign contributors. The list also includes the contractor whose name has been linked to the recent auto emissions testing fiasco.

The latter firm is Parsons Brinckerhoff, which last year built new auto-emissions testing facilities for the state. What ensued was more related to the actions of state regulatory officials, but the resulting equipment-related problems, which saw motor vehicle testing lines drastically lengthened rather than shortened, have stigmatized the company’s name in local circles. Parsons, which has made $313,000 in campaign contributions in the last decade, is teaming up with 3D/International of Houston in its sealed bid for school projects.