Redmond awards progressive design‑build validation contract for maintenance and operations campus

The Committee of the Whole for Planning and Public Works on Sept. 2 directed staff to place on the Sept. 16 consent agenda an award of a progressive design‑build contract to Leece Crutcher Lewis Washington LLC for the city’s maintenance and operations center (MOC) campus redevelopment, including a $5,500,000 validation-phase authorization.

Council members and staff said the validation phase will test assumptions in the master plan, bring contractor constructability input and produce a validation report that will inform later design and construction phases. Council member Fields pressed for clarity on what the city will receive at the end of validation and when council will be asked for additional funding; staff said council will be updated regularly and that approval of funding for later phases is expected after validation, targeted for early second quarter of next year.

City staff said 10 teams responded to the request for teams, three were selected as finalists, and the successful team combined Leece Crutcher Lewis (contractor), Miller Hull (architect) and Stantec (MOC expertise). Amy Kim and Eric Dawson joined staff to answer questions during the presentation.

“We had 10 teams, very strong teams that were very well known within the region,” a city staff presenter said during the discussion. Council members emphasized the need for robust community outreach; staff said communications planning is underway and will distinguish public-facing updates from internal project communications.

The progressive design‑build procurement uses a phased approach: validation (testing and confirming program and budget), then design/preconstruction and construction. Staff described preconstruction as the design phase with heightened contractor input to assess materials availability, constructability and subcontractor procurement strategies.

No formal roll-call vote was taken in the committee; the item was approved to move to the Sept. 16 consent agenda with no objections recorded. Staff said the validation contract amount being requested on Sept. 16 is $5,500,000 and that the project team will return to council with validation findings and recommended next steps.

The design‑build team will also execute community engagement and outreach as the validation work proceeds; staff said a communications consultant is already engaged and a stakeholder list from the master plan will be used to guide outreach scheduling.