The Hormel Institute has a construction manager for its upcoming $27 million expansion project.

The Austin Port Authority approved the St. Paul-based McGough firm as the project’s construction manager during a special meeting Wednesday.

McGough previously built The Institute’s first expansion in 2008 and had a hand in several recent building projects, according to project manager Jon Erichson. The firm will be in charge of coordinating and supervising the construction, though the firm won’t bid sub-projects, leaving that under the port authority and the Institute’s control, Erichson said.

“They will not bid any of the work themselves, which provides more opportunities for local firms,” Erichson told the port authority.

McGough will be paid about 3.65 percent, or as much as $800,000, on the project, which officials estimate should take about $22 million after other expenses.

The port authority hired RSP Architects to design the expansion last month, and Erichson said the port authority should expect to meet several more times over the next few months to approve further steps in the project.