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School committee approves CM at‑risk procurement for Wickford Middle School; RFP to be released
Summary
After a unanimous recommendation from the building advisory committee, the school committee approved pursuing a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) procurement for the Wickford Middle School project and authorized release of an RFP.
The North Kingstown School Committee voted on Oct. 21 to proceed with a Construction Manager at Risk procurement for the Wickford Middle School bond project after the building advisory committee recommended the method unanimously.
Sam Bradner of The Perrigan Group, the district’s owners‑project manager, explained the two principal procurement approaches being considered: traditional design‑bid‑build (a general contractor selected after design completion) and CMAR, in which a construction manager joins early in design to provide constructability review, market‑based estimates and opportunities to accelerate or sequence work. Bradner and district staff said CMAR gives the district earlier cost feedback, a transparent subcontract bidding process and the ability to reconcile contractor and architect estimates during design; staff cautioned CMAR can increase general condition costs compared with a lump‑sum general contractor model.
Under the recommended timeline, if the committee’s decision stands, the district will post the CMAR RFP immediately and accept proposals with a projected receipt deadline of Nov. 12 and an evaluation period of roughly two weeks. The administration noted a scheduling detail: town council meeting dates and school committee dates currently do not align on one approval step, and officials said they would coordinate calendars so the award and municipal approvals can be synchronized.
Building advisory committee members asked about milestones, schedule and potential trade‑market pricing. Bradner provided an illustrative schedule showing CMAR involvement beginning in the next 60 days and potential substantial completion earlier than a design‑bid‑build schedule, noting those dates are estimates and will change as the project progresses.
The school committee approved the advisory committee’s recommendation on a voice vote. Superintendent’s staff said they will publish the RFP and return with evaluation results and a recommendation for award for subsequent committee and council review.
Ending: The district will advertise a CMAR RFP immediately, evaluate responses in November and return award recommendations to the building advisory committee, school committee and town council, with municipal calendar coordination to follow.
