Board approves Ekman Construction and Civil Works for elementary renovation pre-bond work

The Oyster River School Board approved two procurement recommendations May 21 to advance design and pre-bond work for a planned elementary renovation and expansion: Ekman Construction as construction manager and Civil Works as civil engineer.

District facilities staff described the competitive request-for-proposal process: six firms submitted responses after a mandatory bidders walkthrough; evaluators shortlisted three firms and interviewed them. The scoring rubric emphasized experience with phased, occupied K'12 projects, site logistics, personnel and preconstruction cost proposals. Ekman scored highest in the committee's evaluation.

A notable contract term presented at the meeting: Ekman offered to perform pre-bond preconstruction services at no cost if the bond did not pass; if the bond passes, Ekman's preconstruction fee would be $30,000. District staff said that Ekman's experience and the at-risk preconstruction offer were important factors in the recommendation.

The board also approved Civil Works (sometimes called Veil Works in discussion) as the civil engineer for sitework and geotechnical coordination at a proposed price of $65,500. Staff said the civil scope includes site cut/fill planning and coordination of required borings for structural design.

Why it matters: Approving these vendors allows the district to move from schematic design to a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and positions the project for a potential March bond vote. Board members said building-safety logistics and minimizing disruption to students during construction were top priorities.

Next steps: The district will continue design team coordination (architect, MEP, structural) and iterative cost estimating with the construction manager to produce a GMP and prepare materials for the bond process and the 2026 budget timeline.