The contract runs for three years with an option for a fourth.During that term, Whitman, an environmental engineering andmanagement firm, will be responsible for completing environmentaldue diligence, assessing remediation liability and limited siteremediation and oversight. The SDA manages and funds schoolconstruction projects in 31 districts statewide.

"We will provide the bulk of the environmental investigation andsite closure services that the state needs," says Whitman presidentBarry Skoultchi. "We have on staff a team with the experience todeliver the kinds of services required by the school developmentauthority. We have performed more than 2,500 site assessments.

"We have positioned ourselves in brownfield redevelopment andsite investigations, especially in urban areas in New Jersey," hesays. "That will serve us well in this schools project because thetwo areas are so similar, requiring public and private cooperationand participation."