Board approves GMP amendment to add 9th-grade gym and contingency; increases GMP by $4.836 million

BIXBY — The Bixby Board of Education approved an amendment to the district’s guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract with Nabholz on Jan. 16 to add the 9th-grade gym and related items, increasing the GMP by $4,836,181.

District staff explained the district has maintained a single GMP contract for multiple on-site projects and is now adding the final project — the 9th-grade gym — as Amendment No. 14. Jordan (construction representative) and Josh Becknell (architect, Dewberry) described the size and components of the gym: a flexible space for basketball and volleyball with a divider curtain, a 200-seat power-operated bleacher system for 9th-grade events, a 2,500-square-foot cheer area (approximate) and locker rooms.

The amendment’s cost increase includes the gym construction package, added small-project contingency of $150,000 to address items that may arise during occupancy and a $12,000 credit returning unused funds from a maintenance-building scope. District staff said value engineering reduced the initial estimate and that the gym package priced around $330 per square foot in the bid results they reviewed.

Board members approved the amendment by unanimous vote. Facilities and finance staff said the project will be paid from the voter-approved 2024 bond funds and noted that most trade contractors are repeat bidders from the district’s recent projects. Officials said the gym is expected to be completed in roughly a year, subject to the usual construction schedule and permitting process.