OFCC seeks modest operating increases and construction‑process reforms; industry urges caution on IPD and best‑value selection

Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) Executive Director Joy Bledsoe told the House Education Committee the commission will seek modest operating increases in the FY 2026–27 budget and proposed statutory changes intended to shorten procurement timelines and reduce administrative burdens on public construction projects.

Bledsoe said OFCC currently oversees roughly 300 active design/construction projects representing about $5 billion in economic activity statewide, and that the agency’s biennial budget submission would fund both continuing school‑construction programs and investments in technology and professional services to support district clients. She highlighted the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) and other state school construction partnerships as a primary focus and detailed OFCC’s recent role administering federal ARPA grants for school safety and career‑technical construction.

Why it matters: OFCC manages state support and project administration for school and state agency construction; changes in procurement rules and construction funding flows affect how quickly districts can start projects, how local‑share calculations are applied, and how grants for career‑tech and cultural/sports facilities are awarded.

Details and proposals

- Program scale: Bledsoe said OFCC manages more than 300 projects in design or construction and administers nearly $5 billion in economic activity. As of testimony, 304 districts had completed or partially completed CFAP master facility plans, 69 were in planning, and about 40 were in active design or construction.

- Capital and federal grants: OFCC described recent administration of ARPA programs: the Ohio School Safety Grant (more than $210 million awarded to roughly 2,700 eligible public and nonpublic schools) and a $200 million career‑tech construction program that awarded 35 grants to expand career‑technical seats (an estimated 3,369 additional seats). OFCC also administered $90 million in Appalachian Community Innovation Center grants to 11 districts.

- Construction process reforms: Bledsoe presented language for procurement and process modernization intended to speed award and award‑to‑groundbreaking timing, reduce duplicative administrative burden (including retainage reform), and permit…