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Capital projects director highlights delivery goals, calls for procurement reforms as he plans retirement
Summary
Vince Smith, director of Capital Projects Administration, reviewed 2026 goals, staffing reductions and process improvements—proposing faster contract routing, a higher small-project threshold and a 10% allowance for construction change orders—and said he will retire at year-end.
Vince Smith, director of Capital Projects Administration, told the council his office expects to complete most projects scheduled for 2026 while managing a reduction in staff and pursuing procedural changes to speed delivery.
Smith said the division’s 2025 budget carried 18 positions and the 2026 proposal is reduced to 15; by attrition the office is already down. He said the division exceeded its 2025 completion projection and expects to finish about 85% of the projects it plans to complete next year. “Once again by attrition, I think we have right sized our organization,” Smith said.
He described several proposals intended to shorten delivery timelines: raising the city’s small-project procurement threshold (the state moved its threshold from $150,000 to $250,000), preparing standard contracts in bid packages so a successful bidder can execute quickly, and allowing the department head to execute change orders up to an owners’ allowance of 10% so routine adjustments do not delay payment and work. On change orders he said, “If I’m staying within budget, then I think the department head should have the discretion to do that because it just expedites the process.”
Smith also said the office has integrated drone and 360-degree cameras into project documentation, adopted a construction database used by industry, and helped transition the capital budget requests into Questica. He noted that capital projects have averaged five bidders and bid results have come in roughly 10% below budget this year.
At the end of his presentation several council members thanked Smith for his service. Councilmember Green said he had seen Smith at public meetings and praised the director’s availability to residents. Councilmember Thomas also thanked Smith, saying he had earned respect from private-sector engineers and community members. Smith said he will retire at the end of the year and that he believes the office is in a strong position to move forward.
