Saint Mary's County commissioners approved the selection of Kimball Architecture for architectural and engineering services related to the county's adult detention center project (phases 1 and 2) and authorized staff to proceed with contract award pending state review.

County finance and project staff told commissioners the procurement drew broad interest through the eMaryland Marketplace; after an initial pool of more than 100 interested parties the process produced nine responsive proposals that were winnowed to one recommended firm based on technical rating and cost. The contracting officer recommended Kimball Architecture, which had the highest technical rating and a fee within the project budget.

"That firm had had the highest technical rating, the lowest cost, and the cost was within the amount budgeted for A and E Services," said the county finance officer during the presentation.

The board approved a budget amendment to realign state and county revenue sources for Phase 2 and reestablished the Phase 2 project in FY2010. The contracting officer was authorized to proceed with contract award to Kimball Architecture for A&E services totaling $1,520,890 (phase 1: $1,220,890; phase 2: $300,000) after obtaining approval from the Maryland Department of General Services.

Design rationale: Sheriff Cameron and jail project staff urged an integrated design approach for phases 1 and 2 to ensure systems, security features and shared spaces work together, and to position the county more competitively for state construction funding. Project managers said phase 2 includes key functions — kitchen, booking/inmate processing, medical ward/infirmary, work‑release and administrative space — and that coordinated design reduces the risk of incompatible specifications or duplicated work.

Minority participation: The selected proposal included about 12.2% MBE/WBE participation; the state goal was cited at 25% as a target.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner Raley moved approval; the motion was seconded and carried. The county will submit the recommendation to the State of Maryland Department of General Services for review and then proceed to execute the contract and corresponding financial documents if the state approves the selection. County staff indicated construction phase services were included in the firm’s fee and that phase 1 construction is expected to begin in FY2011.