A west-facing rendering of Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz on Guam. (Communal Region of the Marianas)

The Navy is inviting bids to build a joint communications center on Marine Corps Base Guam.

Work at Camp Blaz, the Corps’ first new installation in 70 years, is estimated to cost $250 million to $500 million and will take more than three years, according to the announcement on the System for Award Management website.

The announcement describes a multi-story warehouse-style building with secure facilities to provide naval IT and telecommunications support.

It calls for the creation of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, and an OSP fiber line SONET ring, essentially a synchronous data transmission network over optical fibers, according to the tender.

The deadline for proposals is January 28, according to the SAM website.

Naval Facilities Systems Command Pacific prepared the request for proposals, which includes preparatory work, demolition of the site and potentially cleaning up munitions left over from battles fought on Guam during World War II.

Guam plays a central role as a communications hub and gathering place as the Department of Defense prepares for potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Upcoming changes to Guam include the addition of new Coast Guard Cutters, improvements to Andersen Air Force Base and a missile defense system designed to ward off multiple threats from potential adversaries North Korea, China and Russia.

Blaz, activated in 2020, is the result of a joint agreement between the United States and Japan to relocate certain maritime assets from Okinawa. Japan is paying $3 billion of an estimated $8.6 billion cost to build the base and surrounding infrastructure.

Initial plans call for nearly 5,000 Marines at Blaz as part of the deal with Japan. The Corps also plans to establish a new littoral regiment in Guam to counter Chinese attempts to assert territorial claims in the South China Sea and build up its forces.

Blaz, a 4,000-acre site named in honor of the late Brig. Gen. Vincente “Ben” Blaz, originally from Guam, has been under construction since August 2017.

The base is expected to reach full operational capability by 2028, base spokeswoman Maj. Diann Rosenfeld told Stars and Stripes in December.