Commission approves intent to award courthouse CM/GC contract, directs staff to negotiate

The Morrow County Board of Commissioners authorized staff to issue an intent to award a construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) contract for the new county courthouse and directed staff to negotiate terms for a final agreement.

County and design staff said the recruitment attracted nine proposals and a five-person scoring committee (three county staff and two design team members) evaluated them across eight categories. Presenters identified three finalists: Boughton Construction (Richland), Kirby Nagelhout (Pendleton), and Shervin L Construction (Kennewick). The scoring committee reported a close evaluation among the top firms and recommended the top-ranked contractor.

During the meeting Alliance representative Earl Eastman reviewed the RFP process, reference checks and fee comparisons. The committee reported fees ranged from 2.75% to 5.0%; the selected firm's fee was described as within industry norms. Commissioners asked for scoring documentation; staff said individual score sheets are public records but are normally released after a contract is executed to protect proposal confidentiality.

A commissioner moved to approve intent to award the CM/GC contract to the recommended firm and direct staff to enter contract negotiations. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said they will notify the other finalists, allow a period for protest if required, and return to the board with a finalized contract for approval.

Staff expects to present final contract terms for board approval at a subsequent meeting after negotiations and any protest period have been resolved.