County building bids near estimate; alternates and an 8.9% contingency shape $7 million renovation

County staff reported July 17 that construction bids for a planned $7 million renovation of the county government building came in close to the architect’s 9% estimate and left an 8.9% contingency. Jamie Ludovic (chief community development officer) and other staff briefed the committee on the budget spreadsheet, noting the $7 million program includes architectural fees, permits, a new generator, card access, digital signage, millwork extension in the boardroom, IT equipment, parking-lot and Schmidt Road repaving, furniture and interior finishes. Staff said that industry practice is to have about 10% contingency on a project; at 8.9%, staff said they were roughly $60,000 short of that target and will ask the building committee to consider selecting alternates to restore contingency. Alternates described include LED lighting (with the option to exclude hallway lighting), different carpeting/painting scopes, security window film recommended after a deputy returned from a conference, and other scope changes; staff warned that delaying alternates may increase future costs and cause multiple disruptions compared with doing the work now. The apparent low bidder (Seltzer Orange, identified verbally in the packet) proposed a shorter work window that staff said would reduce disruption to county operations. Staff said they are coordinating the contractor schedule to avoid moving critical offices during tax season and elections, and that exterior work is planned for this fall. The building committee will review alternates and the timeline at its next meeting and will make a recommendation to the county board; no formal action on awards was taken at the July 17 meeting. A staff spreadsheet and architect’s estimate were included in the packet; staff emphasized the need to balance alternates against contingency to avoid re-bidding the project.