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Commission debates procurement method for Fire Station 113; staff to provide comparison report
Summary
Commissioners questioned the city's choice of a design–bid–build procurement for Fire Station 113, citing past change‑order issues; staff said the selection was made months earlier and will provide a report comparing methods and references.
Commissioners debated procurement choices for Fire Station 113 during the fiscal year 2026 budget strategic planning workshop, pressing staff about the pros and cons of design–bid–build versus alternative delivery methods such as design‑build or construction manager at risk.
Commissioner Bridal asked whether the city could consider construction management at risk or design‑build to reduce change orders, citing past problems with Station 50. Commissioner Bridal said, "I would like to suggest that we have Harry address that issue" and asked staff to explain comparisons in layman's terms.
Peter Gay described the city's current approach: "We would go out, first with an RFP for the design of the facility. And then once we get that design, then we would actually prepare a bid package, and we will put that out. And then the lowest submittal that's ... vendor that's responsive, would be awarded to build the actual, Fire Station 113." He said that method was selected given the scale and intricacy of the project.
Harry, a staff member involved with construction procurement, explained the tradeoffs: alternative methods inherit risk that contractors must price into their proposals, which can increase upfront costs, while design–bid–build allows the city to finalize design details and cost takeoffs before the construction contract. Harry said the city evaluated qualifications and received 13 RFQ responses (12 responsive; five finalists) and selected a design consultant through a two‑step process.
Commissioners expressed concern that design–bid–build could still increase costs through value engineering and that previous owner‑representative relationships contributed to problems on Station 50. The mayor urged staff to provide a short comparative report on recent fire station procurement methods and identified case studies, and staff agreed "we'll provide you with that report, in the next week or so" before the RFP is released.
This discussion produced no formal procurement decision; staff indicated the design‑phase RFP for Fire Station 113 will proceed, and the commission requested an evidence‑based comparison of procurement outcomes on recent comparable public safety projects.
