Military versus Private Sector Construction Costs

摘要

Major contracts for military construction (MILCON) exceed four billion dollars per year. The Department of Defense has questioned whether their costs of construction are in line with those in the private sector for similar projects. The authors that they are. The DoD has 27 facility categories. Six of them account for a major portion of the MILCON budget and are facilities frequently cited to have costs higher than similar private sector projects. In five of the six -- physical fitness centers, general-purpose warehouses, barracks, wheeled vehicle maintenance shops, and family housing units -- DoD MILCON costs are generally equivalent to those in the private sector and less than those in other government agencies. In the sixth category, child care centers, MILCON costs are higher. In the two DoD child care centers we examined in detail, design features such as rubber-surfaced playgrounds, atriums, and ornate architecture added significantly to costs. Reexamining the design criteria and more closely reviewing the designs of proposed facilities should bring DoD child care center costs in line.