GSA, Department of State project wins Project Management Institute’s 2021 Project of the Year

October 25, 2021

Global award recognizes project excellence

PHILADELPHIA — Today, the U.S. General Services Administration is pleased to announce that the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) project in Blackstone, Virginia, was recognized as the winner of the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project of the Year Award.

GSA led this $426 million, joint project with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), Diplomatic Security Service. GSA and DOS planned and delivered a mission-critical facility to prepare the Department's security personnel, diplomats, foreign service officers and families for today's overseas environment. The 1,350 acre campus consolidated 11 hard-skills training sites and opened in November 2019 as the nation's largest provider of foreign affairs security training, serving over 10,000 DOS employees each year.

"FASTC was both a challenge and an opportunity for the GSA Mid-Atlantic Region," stated Joanna Rosato, Acting Regional Administrator for GSA's Mid-Atlantic Region. "This cutting edge training complex is the result of a ten year collaboration with the U.S. Department of State as well as our contract partners. We are honored to receive this global award for a world class project."

FASTC features 500,000 square feet of space across 18 buildings supporting classrooms and offices; 19 hard-skills training venues including driving courses, firing ranges, and tactical training facilities; and support facilities like a vehicle maintenance shop. The team upgraded local infrastructure; cleared 490 acres; and built 19 miles of high-speed driving tracks and four bridges. GSA partnered with DOS, the community of Blackstone, Fort Pickett leadership, AECOM, Kieran Timberlake, Hensel Phelps, and M.A. Mortenson Construction Company to bring the project to life.

The Project of the Year Award recognizes large and complex projects around the globe that best deliver superior performance of project management practices, superior organization results, and positive impacts to society.

For more information on the award program please visit www.pmi.org/about/awards.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet and overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA's mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services across government, in support of the Biden-Harris administration's priorities.

For more information, visit www.gsa.gov or join the conversation on social media @US_GSAR3 and other platforms.