Madera County awards $18.34 million design‑build contract for behavioral health crisis stabilization and sobering center
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Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a design‑build agreement to construct a crisis stabilization unit and sobering center, using state grant funding and local match. The project is scheduled to be completed by the grant deadline in mid‑2027.
The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to award a design‑build contract for a new behavioral health crisis stabilization unit and sobering center.
County staff recommended awarding the contract to Querin General LLC and Boulder Associates (as the highest‑ranked design‑build team under the county’s best‑value procurement). The agreement the board approved covers design, construction and a set of grant‑allowed allowances for a guaranteed maximum price that staff described as $18,337,970.76. The county said the maximum allowable project cost under its request for proposals (the GMP) was $18 million; the selected team’s price, including allowances, was reported by staff as approximately $18.34 million.
The project is funded primarily by a conditional award from the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) through the California Department of Health Care Services, a grant of up to $25 million that the county sought with a required local match. County staff said the grant agreement sets a project completion requirement tied to the grant performance period (the county previously reported a grant performance period running through June 30, 2027), and the design‑build scope was framed to meet that deadline.
The proposed facility shown to the board in renderings is roughly 17,290 square feet and includes space for an expanded crisis stabilization capacity (staff described 12 adolescent beds, 12 adult beds in CSU space, and 16 sobering center beds; the RFP required a minimum of eight sobering beds). Staff said the design preserved existing mature trees on site and included site plans and a construction schedule aimed at meeting the grant deadline.
Board members did not make substantive amendments during Tuesday’s discussion. No members raised objections in public deliberations; the roll call vote to approve the agreement was recorded as unanimous. Staff said the selected proposer was the highest scoring team under the county’s best‑value evaluation, which considered fee, schedule, proposed design concept and team experience. Staff also noted the evaluation included a local participation incentive that increased scores for local firms.
The contract authorization allows staff to move forward with the design and preconstruction activities and to execute the agreement with the selected design‑builder. County project managers told the board they will be available for follow‑up updates as the project moves through design and permitting.
The board did not set a distinct construction start date at the meeting; staff said the schedule aims to meet the grant deadline and that permits and plan checks are included among the listed allowances in the total contract figure.
