Bowser, Commanders Put Out Call For Contractors To Help Build $3.8B Stadium Project
D.C.’s next megaproject, the construction of a new stadium for the Washington Commanders, is expected to cost a mind-numbing $3.8B.
For the 70,000-seat stadium, the NFL team is putting up $2.7B, while D.C. has allocated $1.1B for infrastructure and a new public-use sports complex. And that doesn’t include the 8M SF of surrounding mixed-use development, likely bringing billions more in investment.
Like any massive development effort, the economic opportunities it will bring to businesses to secure contracts and generate revenue are substantial.
With this project, D.C. and Commanders leaders say they are focused on bringing those opportunities to the local community. And with the stadium planned to open in less than five years, those opportunities are beginning to emerge.
“Sometimes people get fixated on 2030. We all should be fixated on 2030, but these contracts are going out right now,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday at Bisnow’s RFK Stadium Palooza event.
“And I think the team is not just a willing partner in this but a great partner in this, in owning this shared vision that if we're going to be spending this kind of money in the city, people who have worked here and invested here and built businesses here should be participating in that work,” Bowser added, speaking onstage at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
Last week, the mayor’s office unveiled a solicitation for an owner’s representative to guide it through the development process, providing “comprehensive project management, oversight, and coordination services” to the District.
“The primary goal is to safeguard the District's interests while ensuring the timely, cost-effective, and compliant delivery of the entire project, with a critical and immediate focus on the Base Plan Scope of Work (BPSW) which includes the Commanders' team office and stadium structure, parking garages, roads and other supporting infrastructure,” the solicitation says.
The contract is valued at $400K.
It is one of several RFK district solicitations the city plans to put out to businesses this fiscal year, projected to come in at $33.6M.
On Tuesday, several D.C. agencies participated in the RFK Business Access & Matchmaking Exchange, an event hosted by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce to help local businesses prepare for contracting opportunities on the project.
Moving forward, the city plans to spend $290M on D.C.-based business contracts for RFK, according to the mayor’s 2026 Green Book, the annual publication that outlines contracting opportunities in the city.
The mayor’s office is planning to release seven other solicitations this year, seeking contractors for the sports complex, road and utilities work, and stormwater relocation.
D.C. Department of Buildings Director Brian Hanlon said the city is looking at creating a microgrid for the RFK stadium district, and it is releasing a solicitation for a firm to come up with a master plan for that option.
“There’s just a huge range of opportunities,” Hanlon said.
The mayor’s office estimates that the RFK project will create 30,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.
The economic output of the stadium project over the next 33 years is estimated to be $24B, according to a D.C.-commissioned study that was released in June. Anacostia Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Stan Jackson said the city must ensure there are opportunities for marginalized communities to benefit from that.
“The opportunity to leverage the amount of cash flow that is proposed from this development is unimaginable,” he said. “And it would be, I think, a travesty if we are not able to grow wealth from this process.”
Looking ahead to when the stadium opens, Commanders President Mark Clouse said the fact that the venue will be covered means the team will be able to host events throughout the year.
“So we're actually giving people careers, right?” he said.
“Now, with what we're building, we can have full-time employment for folks in the District.”
