Indeed, the nine contractors that have emerged in pursuit of thework are a who's who of companies that have been active on thepolitical scene in recent years as campaign contributors. The listalso includes the contractor whose name has been linked to therecent auto emissions testing fiasco.

The latter firm is Parsons Brinckerhoff, which last year builtnew auto-emissions testing facilities for the state. What ensuedwas more related to the actions of state regulatory officials, butthe resulting equipment-related problems, which saw motor vehicletesting lines drastically lengthened rather than shortened, havestigmatized the company's name in local circles. Parsons, which hasmade $313,000 in campaign contributions in the last decade, isteaming up with 3D/International of Houston in its sealed bid forschool projects.

Other major contractors/campaign contributors vying for piecesof the pie include O'Brien Kreitzberg/URS Corp., based in SanFrancisco, with regional offices in Trenton; USA Best for NewJersey, a joint venture of Spillis Candela of Newark, Don ToddAssociates of Cherry Hill, NJ and Frederic R. Harris of Iselin, NJin association with Arthur Andersen; and Morse Diesel Internationalof New York and Lawrenceville, NJ.