West Virginia state lab project moves forward with contractor bids
ZMM Architects and Engineers
Principal and Architect Adam Krason, Senior Architect/Project Manager Rodney Pauley, and Director of External Affairs Ben Ashley shared updates on the WV Consolidated Labs project at a meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Health during interims for the WV State Legislature on December 9, 2025. Information from that presentation was shared in the following WV News article.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia consolidated laboratory project has reached a critical stage, with the state now accepting bids for the construction of the main facility, officials told state lawmakers Tuesday.
The facility, which has been formally named the West Virginia Center for Laboratory Sciences, is currently out to bid for building construction, according to an update provided Tuesday to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.
“We are out to bid for construction of the consolidated lab,” said Bob Kilpatrick, director of the General Services Division, which is overseeing the project.
The GSD, an agency within the Department of Administration, is working with multiple state agencies and institutions that will utilize the new center. These include the Department of Health, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Division of Labor, the West Virginia State Police Forensics Division, West Virginia University, and Marshall University.
Adam Krason, an architect and principal with ZMM Architects and Engineers, noted that the Request for Quotation for the building construction was released on November 6. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference on November 18 saw strong attendance, indicating significant contractor interest.
The facility will be located on a site in the West Virginia Regional Technology Park in South Charleston.
While the main construction bid is underway, preliminary site preparation work, managed has been ongoing since June. This $1.65 million phase is nearing completion, with a final completion date projected for February 6.
The new facility will house the Department of Health’s Office of Laboratory Services; the Division of Labor’s Office of Weights and Measures; State Police and Department of Homeland Security forensics labs; the State Medical Examiner; and labs from Marshall University and West Virginia University.
The Legislature appropriated funds for the consolidated state lab project in 2023 during a special session.
View photos from the presentation (courtesy of the West Virginia Legislature).
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