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City updates council on 825 Tech Center progress; recommends $1.73 million furniture contract
Summary
Officials reported the new 825 Tech Center is substantially dried‑in, on track for early‑2026 move‑in; staff recommended a $1,603,944 base FF&E contract with King Business Interiors (about $1.73M with contingency) and sought waiver/emergency for procurement due to tariffs and schedule.
Senior staff gave a construction progress update on the 825 Tech Center Drive facility and presented a recommended contract for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).
Senior Director (Operations) said the building is “100% dried in” with substantial interior progress: the third floor was primed and partly painted, ceiling grids and lighting were being installed, and the first‑floor lobby and sally ports recently were poured. He said underground utilities and exterior metal framing are complete and that the project had invoiced roughly 52% of construction costs to date.
On schedule, staff said the project remains on track for move‑in in early 2026, with phased substantial‑completion handovers allowing furniture installation and turnover of finished floors. The director told council the original substantial‑completion date will shift a little but move‑in remains “January, February of ’26.”
Staff presented a procurement outcome for FF&E. The city said it received written responses to an RFP, evaluated three written proposals and selected King Business Interiors (a local, woman‑owned, family‑operated firm) as the preferred vendor. The recommended base contract was $1,603,944 with a contingency of about $126,000, bringing the total recommended authorization to roughly $1,730,000. Staff said the total FF&E budget across allocations (including EECBG funds and other allowances) is about $2.3 million and that some items will be repurposed from the current building.
Councilmember Padova asked whether existing furniture is being reused; staff replied that many chairs and desks will be repurposed and that the moving/logistics contract will inventory, offer usable items to nonprofits and auction remaining items. Padova also suggested using local artists for decor; staff said some contingency funds would be used for decor and they would consider local artists.
Councilmember Jones asked about waiver and emergency language; staff cited recent tariff costs and supply constraints and requested waiver and emergency on the May 19 regular agenda. Council agreed to place the furniture contract on the May 19 agenda with waiver/emergency requested and on the June 2 consent agenda for final approval.
