Contractor finally selected to build Guam's long-delayed school project

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The Department of Public Works will begin negotiating a contract with Core Tech International for the construction of a new campus for Simon Sanchez High School in Yigo.

Core Tech beat the two other top bidders—General Pacific Services and Guam Education Financing Foundation—that submitted full proposals for the project.

“With this selection, DPW and government stakeholders will move into the contract negotiation phase,” the department said. “If terms cannot be finalized with the top-ranked proposer, the government will initiate discussions with the next most qualified firm as provided by law.”

DPW said all three proposers demonstrated significant capacity and experience in school construction, along with a clear desire to serve as long-term partners to the Yigo community.

"Each firm articulated its commitment to deliver a project that meets technical, financial, operations, and maintenance expectations,” DPW said.

The soon-to-be-negotiated agreement will involve financing, demolition, design, build, lease/leaseback and insure/capital maintenance delivery of the new campus. DPW said the final contract details will be announced in the coming weeks.

“This process has never been just about construction,” said Vincent P. Arriola, public works director. “It’s about restoring trust in public institutions and providing our youth with the facilities they deserve."

The selection process was guided by Public Law 37-22 and the MA KÅHAT Act. A multi-agency evaluation committee “carried out the review with transparency, rigor and integrity,” DPW said.

The evaluation committee, chaired by Education Superintendent Dr. Erik K. Swanson, comprises representatives from DPW, the Guam Department of Education, Guam Economic Development Authority and the Department of Land Management.

Officials said the request for proposal was carefully structured and developed with input from GDOE, the principal of Simon Sanchez High School, GEDA, DPW, the Attorney General’s Office and our consultants.

Arriola emphasized the importance of maintaining forward momentum, urging all stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the process and address the community's urgent needs.

 He warned that any protest at this stage would further delay "a project that thousands of students, parents, and educators have been depending on for over a decade.”

“We are not just building a school,” Arriola said. “We are building a future for future generations of our island’s children.”  

“The students of Simon Sanchez and their families have waited too long. Every proposer has claimed to be a committed community partner, and we are taking them at their word," the public works chief said.

Simon Sanchez High School opened as a middle school in 1974 and was later converted into a high school in 1981 to serve the northeastern region of Guam.

The school’s dilapidated infrastructure had long been a source of concern, with its facilities hindering a whole high school experience for students.

Since 2010, the Yigo campus has been shut down several times due to unresolved health and safety violations, including roof leaks, stained tiles and sanitary supplies, among others.

The condition worsened in the years that followed, and Typhoon Mawar, which struck Guam in May 2023, caused extensive damage, rendering the campus unusable and beyond repair.