Iraq Infrastructure
Reconstruction
Program

Power plant units in operation in central Iraq.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Project News
Project Slide Show

Project Images in Bechtel Briefs (3/04)
Outreach to Iraqi Subcontractors

Procurement
For procurement-related information, please visit Bechtel’s
Supplier and Contractor portal.

IRAQ IN THE NEWS

Top Ten Strategic Accomplishments in Iraq
A fact sheet issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Bechtel Completes Work In Iraq
San Francisco Chronicle
(11/01/06)

A Year in Iraq
A summary of reconstruction and humanitarian activities undertaken in Iraq by USAID and its partners from March 2003—2004.

One Year On - Building Bridges in Iraq
Concrete Engineering International
(Summer 2004)

Rebuilding Iraq's Ravaged Railways
Railway Gazette International
(03/2004)

Reconstruction in Iraq
U.S.-Iraqi Teamwork Grows Skills While Restoring Power Plant
Engineering News-Record (ENR) (02/03/04)

Cliff Mumm Profile
Reconstruction Warriors
Worldwide Projects
(Fall 2003)

Amid Violence, Iraq Reconstruction Endures
Construction Equipment Guide
(11/17/03)

Reconstruction in Iraq
After $38-million Overhaul, Iraqi Port of Umm Qasr Is Back in Business
Engineering News-Record (ENR) (11/13/03)

Bechtel Responds

Congressional Testimony (9/06) Oral | Written
Al Basrah Children’s Hospital Historical Record (8/06)
Bechtel's Response to The Nation – Fables of Reconstruction (9/04)

Bechtel's Perspective on Iraqi Schools Repair Program (12/03)

Bechtel Statement to the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee (11/03)

Response to Iraq Critics(10/03)

Response to Newsweek (10/03)
Protesters’ Allegations (6/03)

Misreporting on Ties to bin Laden Family (5/03)
Media Inaccuracies (4/03)

In support of the U.S. government's reconstruction effort in Iraq, Bechtel is under contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), for the emergency repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of critical elements of Iraq’s infrastructure. Bechtel's initial contract, which is complete, includes assessing and repairing selected power, municipal water, and sewage systems; dredging, repairing, and upgrading the Port of Umm Qasr; rehabilitating selected schools, clinics, and fire stations; reconstructing three key bridges; constructing a key rail line; restoring telephone service to more than 200,000 Baghdad subscribers; and restoring Iraq's main 2,000-kilometer, north-south fiber optic communications backbone.

In addition, in January 2004, USAID awarded Bechtel a second contract known as Iraq Infrastructure II, a major USAID program of engineering, procurement, and construction services for a series of new infrastructure projects in Iraq. Bechtel is teamed with Parsons of Pasadena, California, and Horne Engineering Services of Fairfax, Virginia.

Project Fact Sheets

Progress reports on Bechtel's work within the U.S. Government's Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program are available in fact sheet format, including information on airports, buildings, the Port of Umm Qasr, power, surface transportation, and water and wastewater. The fact sheets include work descriptions, schedules, number of subcontractors and Iraqi employees hired, jobs created by the program, and project and site selection updates.

	Accomplishments Bechtel began work on the U.S. Agency for International Development's Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program in April 2003. Since then, the program has seen a number of notable accomplishments. More (PDF: 206 KB, 2 pages)
	Airports The immediate mission of the Airports program was to restore critical infrastructure at Baghdad (BIAP) and Basrah (BSR) International Airports to support opening of the airports for limited, international commercial flights operating under daytime visual meteorological conditions (VMC). More (PDF: 308 KB, 2 pages)
	Bridges Bechtel reconstructed three bridges damaged in the 2003 conflict: Al Khazir Bridge, located between the northern cities of Mosul and Arbil; Al Mat Bridge near Ar Rutbah village in western Iraq; and Tikrit Bridge over the Tigris River. More (PDF: 253 KB, 2 pages)
	Buildings and Facilities The Buildings and Facilities program includes rehabilitating schools, primary health care clinics, and selected fire stations, and constructing a new children's hospital. More (PDF: 283 KB, 2 pages)
	Ports Upon entering Iraq in April 2003, Bechtel found the Port of Umm Qasr―consisting of the Old Port, New Port, and a large grain handling facility―in a rundown condition with limited commercial power and no water supply. Bechtel's mission was to perform rehabilitation work and open Umm Qasr to receive humanitarian aid shipments. More (PDF: 302 KB, 2 pages)
	Power In April 2003, Bechtel entered Iraq and found the country's electric system in extreme distress, capable of delivering electricity to only a fraction of its 24 million inhabitants. Bechtel's first task was to assess the full extent of damage after three wars, sanctions, looting, and general neglect. More (PDF: 273 KB, 2 pages)
	Rail Bechtel and Iraqi Republic Railways (IRR) jointly constructed a new European-standard rail line in the Basrah region to improve freight transport service from the Port of Umm Qasr to the rest of the country. The existing single-track line had not been upgraded since it was constructed during the 1960s and its poor condition caused derailments, accidents, and delays to rail service. More (PDF: 265 KB, 2 pages)
	Telecommunications The larger telephone exchanges within Baghdad, as well as the critical national fiber optic backbone connecting Iraqi cities to the Baghdad area network, were damaged in the 2003 conflict. Bechtel's role in the reconstruction program has been to restore connectivity to telephone subscribers in the Baghdad area and to restore the fiber backbone to pre-conflict capability. More (PDF: 255 KB, 2 pages).
	Water and Wastewater Bechtel's Water and Wastewater program is restoring water and sanitation systems in Iraq to ensure a reliable supply of treated water to the general public. Iraq's water and sanitation systems, designed to protect public health, were in a state of general disrepair following years of war, sanctions, and inadequate maintenance. More (PDF: 220 KB, 2 pages)

Subcontractor Information

The Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program has awarded the majority – about 75 percent – of its subcontracts for services to Iraqi companies. Additionally, over 10,000 companies from 100 countries have registered on Bechtel's Supplier and Contractor portal.

A key Bechtel and USAID goal under the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program is to maximize Iraqi participation in our work. Indeed, to increase the cost-effectiveness of the work, and to help revitalize the Iraqi economy, Bechtel decided to award the vast majority of the subcontracting work to Iraqi subcontractors.

Iraq Iraq Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program Iraq Iraq