Centex competed with a bevy of other construction hopefuls by responding to the GSA's Request for Proposal for the project exactly two years ago. Centex tells GlobeSt.com that it received award of the project last October, and was given notice to proceed in December. The company says the target date for completion is December 1, 2004.

Located within the Federal Research Center at White Oak, the CDER building will be the second segment of FDA's consolidation endeavor, and the largest of the 14 new interconnected structures that will grace the property and centralize the FDA's operations. Phase I consists of a 114,000-sf structure. CDER's new six-story concrete facility will house offices, research space, and laboratories.

"The consolidation of FDA at White Oak will save $2.5 million per year in leasing costs that would be charged for comparable private sector space," GSA's Anthony E. Costa says of the endeavor. "[It will] create efficiencies through shared used of infrastructure and facilities; and reduce travel time for FDA employees and visitors who now must shuttle back and forth among the existing sites."