Audio clip
Bill Payne
Volkswagen's Chattanooga training center will have somewhat of a Scottish feel.
A Glasgow, Scotland, company has won a contract related to developing a curriculum for the Volkswagen Training Academy.
Chattanooga's Industrial Development Board approved a $612,864 bid from Spitfire Consultancy for the work. While the base bid was $536,000, the total amount of the project was more because of expected travel expenses, said City Engineer Bill Payne.
Mr. Payne said Spitfire's bid was the low one, and the state will pay the cost. He said VW has used Spitfire for similar work in a Hanover, Germany, facility.
Mr. Payne said the work is needed to complete the design of the training equipment. He said one of the training modules inside the facility will have layout and selection of equipment based on how training will be conducted.
"It's necessary for the curriculum to be developed at this time," he said. "It's a necessary part of design and construction."
Mr. Payne said six vendors from around the world answered a request for proposals on the project.
Ted Mills, the board's chairman, noted there was a big disparity between the bids. Porsche Consulting bid $2.2 million.
Mr. Payne said that since the project was technically a request for proposals and not an invitation to bid, each firm developed its own methods and costs.
Work is already under way on the outside of the training academy, which will be adjacent to the auto assembly plant under construction at Enterprise South industrial park.
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
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