Commission authorizes notice of intent to award contract for deflection space procurement

County staff told commissioners on April 30 that procurement for the county's deflection-space remodel concluded with two proposals and the scoring committee ranked the proposal from Heart (Heart of Architects) highest. Staff recommended issuing a notice of intent to award so contract negotiation and work can start before grant deadlines.

A staff member said the scoring committee met, the top score was close, and the county is working through contract terms. The money that funds the work must be spent before the end of the biennium; staff said remaining time is tight and requested authorization to issue a notice of intent to award.

A motion was made on the floor to authorize issuance of the notice of intent to award to Heart of Architects; a second followed and the board took the action during the meeting. One commissioner voiced disappointment that a qualified local architect two blocks from the project was not selected through the scoring process.

County staff said the scores were close (one example given was 89 and 89.5) and that the scoring committee used higher numerical score as the deciding factor. Staff also noted that scoring criteria included familiarity with the physical location and with county processes; county staff said familiarity was considered but did not override the numerical evaluation.

The board authorized staff to proceed with issuing the notice of intent to award and to continue contract negotiations. Commissioners asked staff to attempt timeline flexibility if additional extensions are needed with funders and to keep the board informed of contract execution status.