The new administration at Allegheny Health Network has put a number of projects that had been out for proposal on hold at least temporarily. As many as a dozen projects at AHN facilities, including Forbes Regional, Allegheny General, West Penn, Allegheny Valley and Jefferson Hospital, as well as some medical office buildings, were being priced but most have not proceeded. Interviews for the $20 million NICU project at West Penn – which received a $9.1 RACP grant – have not occurred, although the project is reported to be going ahead. With new CEO Cynthia Hundorfean taking the reins in February, it’s not surprising that capital spending would be evaluated. It’s unfortunate for the construction market that the evaluation comes when there was a meaningful flurry of activity.

The Benter Foundation selected Jendoco Construction as contractor for the $3 million renovation of its offices in the Benedum Tree Building. The design/build team of Mascaro/R3A was selected to do the second pahse of the work at The Program for Offendors. The project is the expansion of into another roughly 60,000 sq. ft. of the former Keystone Plumbing Building in Homestead to accomodate about 230 beds for female offendors. MBM Contracting was awarded the $1 million Canonsburg Hospital nursing unit renovation. CMU is taking CM proposals on the Tata Consulting Services Building (TCS) from MAscaro, Mosites, PJ Dick, Rycon and Turner; aand architectural proposals from Skidmore Owings Merrill, SHoP and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. RIDC is interviewing Volpatt, Franjo and A. Martini & Co. for the 65,000 sq. ft. new Lawrenceville Technology Center. That’s the $12 million new center for robotics research that will further accelerate the research on robotics and automated vehicles that is going on in conjunction with CMU and private companies like Uber, Google, Ford and Tesla.