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County’s owner’s‑rep outlines progressive design‑build schedule for jail and behavioral‑care project
Summary
STV, the county’s owner’s‑representative, told the task force it has secured Project Review Committee approval for progressive design‑build procurement, issued a qualifications request and plans a staged schedule through programming, validation and selection of a design‑builder in mid‑2025 before detailed design begins.
STV, the owner’s‑representative for Whatcom County’s jail and behavioral‑care capital project, told the Incarceration Prevention Reduction Task Force on April 21 that the county has approval to pursue progressive design‑build procurement and that the team expects to shortlist design‑build teams and issue a request for proposals over the coming months.
Ashley McLaren, STV communications and strategic management lead, and Adam Johnson, STV project lead, described their early work to organize stakeholders, prepare a communications plan and set a procurement schedule. “We are in the first phase right now…we’ve been on board for about not quite three months,” McLaren said.
Procurement and schedule: Johnson said the county obtained state Project Review Committee approval for a progressive design‑build delivery model in late March. STV released a request for qualifications (RFQ) the week before the meeting; the RFQ will be used to shortlist three design‑build teams. The intent is to issue an RFP to shortlisted teams, conduct interactive interviews and select a design‑builder by July, with a formal contract and onboarding planned for August.
Programming and validation: STV said its programming phase (fall 2025 into early 2026) will produce several operational and size options — typically three to four alternatives — with associated schematic budgets and schedules. Those options are intended to help county leaders and the task force evaluate tradeoffs before entering detailed design and construction. STV emphasized early engagement with jail leadership, behavioral‑health stakeholders and finance advisors so design follows validated operational and Medicaid/Medicare feasibility analyses.
Why it matters: STV said the progressive design‑build model brings contractors into early programming conversations so cost and operational constraints are considered before design is finalized. That approach aims to reduce the risk of building unaffordable or operationally infeasible plans.
Communications and public engagement: STV told the task force it is developing a layered communications plan: dashboards and monthly summaries for officials, regular briefings to advisory groups and targeted outreach to neighborhoods adjacent to any proposed site once site selection progresses. STV said it will translate jargon and tailor messages for different audiences.
Ending: STV said it will return with updates after shortlist and selection milestones and that detailed feasibility reports — including a jail capacity analysis and Medicaid/Medicare operational feasibility — will be completed before the design‑builder is onboarded.
