Committee recommends CG Schmidt as construction manager for referendum projects; board to act next meeting

A selection committee charged with reviewing proposals for construction management of Whitnall School District’s recently approved referendum projects unanimously recommended contracting with CG Schmidt, committee members said.

Brady (district staff member) described the procurement steps: the district solicited statements of qualifications, narrowed seven submissions to three finalists, arranged tours and required presentations and interviews. The three finalists were J.P. Cullen, C.D. Smith and CG Schmidt. The committee first evaluated qualitative proposals and interviews and then reviewed cost proposals; Brady said the committee intentionally separated qualitative assessments from price during initial scoring.

The nut graf: Committee members said CG Schmidt’s prior work with the district, the firm’s emphasis in its presentation on the pool project (the largest and most complex referendum component) and its safety record and proposed project team motivated the recommendation. Committee members also said CG Schmidt proposed timeline adjustments that could accelerate some work.

Brady said the committee appreciated that several proposed project leads had worked on the district’s 2018 referendum projects. “All the members of the team — their first choice even before we saw any numbers — was CG Schmidt from the qualitative information that we had,” Brady said. Committee members said CG Schmidt’s cost proposal was competitively in the middle of the range and that its focus on the pool project was notable because that element has prompted the most public attention.

Board member Karen, who participated on the committee, said the process was educational: “I personally learned a lot by listening to all three companies,” she said, thanking staff and the architect for organizing presentations. Another committee member praised CG Schmidt’s recent safety record relative to the other finalists and said that distinction was important because work will take place in and around occupied school facilities.

No formal contract was approved at the workshop; the administration will present the recommended contract and cost details for board action at the next meeting.

Ending: The board scheduled a formal vote on the construction-manager recommendation for the next regular meeting; the administration said it will publish the committee’s materials for public review before that vote.