It’s game on with bidders for work on the $1.4 billion Stadium of the Future.
With Jacksonville City Council and the NFL owners approving the deal for the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars to proceed with the project, the team ownership is assembling the team of services and contractors so that work can start on the 29-year-old EverBank Stadium when the 2024 season ends.
The Jaguars already have chosen 10 bidders and are negotiating with two more for services.
And Jaguars Director of Business Communications Lyndsay Rossman said Nov. 6 two bid packages are expected to be out Nov. 7 and Dec. 19 for 24 total scopes of work for major construction work.
The first will comprise six scopes of work from demolition to concrete foundations.
That one, Bid Package IFC #2A, includes demolition, site preparation, concrete foundations, cast-in-place concrete, joint sealants and expansion joints.
Rossman said interested bidders can attend a pre-proposal meeting scheduled at 4 p.m. Nov. 20 in Gallagher West Club at EverBank Stadium to learn more about the project.
IFC is “Issuance for Construction,” basically the designs, drawings or documents for the services/scopes.
Bid Package IFC #2B, which will be released Dec. 19, includes 18 scopes of work, such as precast concrete, structural steel, building steel, fire protection, plumbing, AV and video production.
There will also be an RFP for building commissioning posted before Thanksgiving.
The Jaguars have been working for months with city and service agencies to prepare to start renovations on EverBank Stadium in 2025 for the Stadium of the Future.
The structure at 1 EverBank Stadium Drive anchors the Sports & Entertainment District on the eastern edge of Downtown.
The NFL owners’ group gave final approval Oct. 15 to the Jaguars’ deal with the city. The Jaguars lease the stadium from the city, which owns it.
In the RFPs, the Jaguars, through Jax Stadium LLC, issues notices of competitive selection after receiving and evaluating responses. The Jaguars then prepare to negotiate a contract with the top-ranked respondent.
The team’s timeline calls for the stadium construction to begin in February 2025.
The Jaguars will play at EverBank Stadium during the 2025 NFL season with a slightly reduced capacity, then will return to EverBank in 2026 with a stadium capacity of about 43,500.
In 2027, the Jaguars will play their home games in Orlando or Gainesville, but with the possibility of playing three home games in London.
The renovated stadium would open in August 2028.
RFP selections
Rossman said that the Jaguars are handling all bid negotiations for the Stadium of the Future.
She said Stadium of the Future awardee information is at jaguars.com/stadiumofthefuture/employment, which is also where RFP/bid packages are hosted.
In the latest two RFPs, Terracon Consultants Inc. is the top-ranked among seven respondents for construction materials testing and for special inspections/threshold services.
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. is top-ranked among seven respondents for deep foundations and geotechnical testing.
Rossman said there is no set timing on negotiations with those respondents.
Both already are top bidders on the first 10 RFPs for the projects.
The Jaguars have selected, negotiated and awarded RFPs to:
• AECOM Hunt/Barton Malow for preconstruction services.
• HOK, already a design partner, for architect of record services. HOK is based in St. Louis.
• Terracon Consultants for the Phase 1 environmental site assessment services. Terracon is based in Olathe, Kansas, near Kansas City, and has an office in Jacksonville.
• ETM Surveying & Mapping for surveying and subsurface utility engineering services. Known as ETM Survey, the company is affiliated with Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc.
• Langan for geotechnical services. Langan Engineering & Environmental Services is based in Parsippany, New Jersey, and has an office in Jacksonville.
• ImpactDM for project management. Impact Development Management, based in Atlanta, says it is a commercial real estate development management firm that helps clients “execute economical, functional, and aesthetically pleasing projects.”
• Rider Levett Bucknall for the role of cost consultant. RLB.com says it is an advisory, cost management and project management services firm. It is a London-based global company with 15 offices in the U.S. among 20 in North America.
• ME Engineers, an international company, for technology services.
• Gallagher Insurance Co. for insurance broker services.
• Walter P. Moore & Associates Inc. of Denver as the structural engineer of record.
Progress to date
Reviews to start construction in 2025 for the Stadium of Future began at least in May, and the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars took another step Oct. 28.
A joint venture of Hunt Construction and Barton Malow are seeking a permit at a job cost of almost $1.53 million for test piles around the foundation of the stadium, which the city owns.
The NFL owners vote allowed the team to proceed toward remaking and modernizing EverBank Stadium by the 2028 season with such features as a partial roof cover, expanded and elevated concourses, a park-like entrance, corner openings to improve airflow and a reflective outer coating designed to reduce interior heat.
The deal includes $775 million in public funding from the city of Jacksonville and $625 million from the team. A 30-year lease is part of the package.
Stadium renovation groundwork has been ongoing for months.