The Village of Wellington selection committee voted unanimously on Oct. 9, 2025, to enter negotiations with Kaufman Lynn Construction Inc. as the top-ranked firm to serve as construction manager at risk (CMAR) for a new Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation under RFQ202522.

The decision followed presentations and interviews from five shortlisted firms — Core Construction Services of Florida LLC, Vertex Construction LLC, the Morganti Group Inc., Wharton Smith Inc. (appeared in transcript as Morton/Wharton variants), and Kaufman Lynn Construction Inc. — and a committee scoring and ranking session at 11:55 a.m. The committee formally approved proceeding with contract negotiations by a 4–0 vote.

Why it matters: The committee’s selection advances the procurement for a substation that will be built on an occupied Village of Wellington campus. Committee members said they prioritized firms’ past performance on public-safety and occupied-campus projects, understanding of local permitting and operational constraints, cost-control approach during preconstruction, and plans to limit impacts on adjacent residents and village operations.

The committee first recorded a procedural vote to continue the meeting with four members present after one committee member was unable to attend; that motion carried without recorded opposition. After reviewing presentations and rescoring the shortlisted firms, the panel converted summary scores into ordinal rankings and moved to negotiate with the top-ranked firm. Minutes record the motion to begin negotiations and a 4–0 affirmative vote. The meeting chair also reminded attendees that a procurement cone of silence remains in effect until final award.

What the committee heard: Presenting teams outlined schedules, logistics and risk-mitigation approaches. Kaufman Lynn emphasized recent, direct experience building PBSO facilities in South Florida, familiarity with PBSO’s security and IT requirements, and a 14-month target schedule based on comparable work. Several firms described similar timelines (roughly 12–16 months) and flagged long-lead items such as generators, HVAC equipment and ballistic/security materials as procurement priorities to manage during preconstruction. Vertex, Morganti, Wharton Smith and Core each highlighted on-site logistics, community engagement, and constructability review as methods to limit disruption on the occupied campus and nearby residences.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to proceed with four-member selection committee (procedural): passed (4–0).
- Motion to enter negotiations with the highest-ranked firm (Kaufman Lynn Construction Inc.): passed (4–0).

Ranking and scores (post-presentation rescoring)
- 1. Kaufman Lynn Construction Inc. — 45 points
- 2. Core Construction Services of Florida LLC — 44 points
- 3. Wharton Smith Inc. — 43 points
- 4. Morganti Group Inc. — 42 points
- 5. Vertex Construction LLC — 38–40 points (transcript shows 38–40 depending on reviewer)

Next steps: The committee authorized staff to open contract negotiations with Kaufman Lynn. The purchasing manager signaled the village will proceed with negotiations and return to the committee once negotiations are complete; any final contract award will be brought to the village in accordance with procurement rules. The meeting record also notes the committee will comply with the cone-of-silence procurement restrictions while negotiations proceed.

Background: RFQ202522 sought a CMAR for a new PBSO substation to be sited on an occupied village campus. Five firms were shortlisted and presented public-safety experience, preconstruction approaches, and site logistics to a panel that included the village purchasing manager, the planning director, parks and recreation director, senior engineer and public works director. The presentation and scoring session ran through morning and early afternoon and concluded with the recorded votes and direction to negotiate.