Honolulu-based Nan Inc. has secured an initial piece of a potentially $900 million U.S. military contract infused with federal stimulus money to build and improve facilities worldwide.

A joint venture between Nan and an affiliate of London-based engineering and project management conglomerate AMEC plc were awarded a $9.6 million contract to build a child development center at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kane'ohe Bay.

The project financed with federal stimulus money is expected to be completed in 2011.

AMEC-Nan Joint Venture LLC, the partnership between Nan and AMEC Earth & Environmental Inc., is one of four companies eligible to bid on a package of military construction contracts worth up to $900 million through 2014. The Kane'ohe project is the first contract in the package.

Contracts issued under the military's NAVFAC Pacific Global Multiple Award Construction Contract will involve new construction, demolition, repair and renovation work, including medical facilities and energy and water conservation projects.

Half the $900 million in anticipated spending will be from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus package.

Nan and a joint-venture partner also were one of six firms to bid on a $500 million NAVFAC contract known as the Design-Build Multiple Award Construction Contract for Waterfront Projects. Nan will partner with Manson Construction Co. on the project.

Nan Inc., founded in 1990 by Patrick Shin, has grown from a small contractor to one of the state's largest construction firms. Much of the company's early growth was through a U.S. Small Business Administration program helping minority-owned businesses win federal contracts. Since 1996, Nan has completed about 2,000 projects valued at more than $1 billion.

Some recent contracts awarded to the company include $37 million in work from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last year for barracks renewal at Fort Shafter and a child development center at Schofield Barracks.

Nan Inc. also has been an active community partner, donating building materials, labor, and landscaping services for Hawai'i families in need.

The company's pro bono work also extends to the public sector. In 2004 the company spearheaded the renovation of the athletic conference room at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa after it sustained severe flood damage. Nan Inc. coordinated a team of suppliers and subcontractors, as well as donated building materials and labor for the renovation.