Norwich building committee: state review delays bid approval; committee OKs consent agenda

The Norwich Building Committee on Jan. 30 received updates on four school construction projects and approved the meeting minutes and a consent agenda of invoices while committee members warned that a slowed state review could delay the start of construction bidding.

Project-manager staff told the committee that the Office of Grants Administration (OGA) has accepted state payment request No. 6 and that the committee is now waiting for the state’s plan-completion review (PCR) letter that would authorize the city to go out to bid. "We're at that last step just waiting for them to give us the approval to go out to bid," a staff member said. Committee members were told state review timing—not missing materials—appears to be the main risk to the advertised schedule.

Why it matters: the OGA approval is the trigger that allows the city to advertise construction contracts. If the PCR letter is delayed the city cannot begin the bid and subcontract award process, which compresses procurement and could raise costs or require schedule trim during bidding.

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State review and bidding: Staff explained the grant commitment and plan review process: receiving the grant commitment authorizes spending but does not allow advertising for construction until all statutorily required plans and documents are approved in the PCR. The committee was told that the state has recently consolidated reviews into a single meeting, which has backed up approvals. Staff said they have been regularly contacting the reviewer and coordinating with DRA and the city purchasing office to keep the project prioritized.

Parcels and MILR filing: For the Greenville site, staff reported that three parcels needed to be combined before MILR filings could be submitted. The committee was told quick-claim deeds were obtained from outside counsel and that those deeds must be recorded by the city clerk and a…