Douglas County-based CH2M Hill learned Wednesday it has landed a nearly $200 million contract to oversee environmental cleanup and venue construction for the 2012 London Olympic Games, a deal that strengthens its position in Europe and may serve as a catalyst for growth there.
CH2M Hill, a global engineering and construction company, will serve as project manager before and after the 2012 Games. The company, along with its pair of United Kingdom-based partners, Laing O’Rourke and Mace, will assist English officials in selecting subcontractors to perform work worth an estimated $4 billion.
The consortium, known as CLM, is expected to sign the contract within 10 days, said Elizabeth Crawshaw, a spokeswoman for the Olympic Delivery Authority, the U.K. government-appointed entity overseeing construction for the Games.
The bulk of the consortium’s work will focus on the environmental cleanup and construction at the future Olympic Park, a site three miles east of central London that will include the Olympic Stadium and Village.
The consortium will also oversee the erection of new venues, such as sports stadiums, swimming pools and even a white-water rafting facility.
CH2M Hill is one of the state’s largest private companies, with 18,000 employees. The deal is expected to lead to significant staff growth for CH2M Hill as the company hires to meet its obligations under the contract.
The consortium outlasted more than 60 companies that “expressed interest” in the contract, according to the website for the Olympic Delivery Authority. The consortium was selected ahead of three other finalists: Bechtel Group Inc. of San Francisco; a consortium headed by Houston-based KBR, a subsidiary of Haliburton Co.; and a group lead by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., based in Pasadena, Calif.,
CH2M Hill has performed work for past Olympic Games, including the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. It also has landed environmental-management contracts for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-954-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com
