The Ames City Council on Sept. 30 approved a construction manager‑as‑advisor agreement with Story Construction for the design and later construction support of the city’s Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus. The city received a single proposal and negotiated the scope and fee, comparing it to a recent CMAR arrangement for the Fitch Family Aquatic Center.
City staff explained that the CMAR will be engaged during design to ensure constructability, identify value‑engineering opportunities and help manage costs. "We bring them in during the design phase so they can help us ensure that we have a project that's not only constructible, but also look at those value engineering opportunities," a staff presenter said.
Councilmembers asked for detail about outreach to prospective bidders and staff reported outreach to a Master Builders of Iowa list and public procurement channels; staff said the single bid was reviewed and compared to similar projects to confirm reasonableness. The council approved the contract by roll call. Staff said negotiations produced a scope and fee aligned with comparable projects and that the CMAR will support staff through design and construction phases.