Buildings and General Services outlines statewide facilities role, capital connections to House Corrections and Institutions

Montpelier — Wanda Manoli, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, told the House Corrections and Institutions Committee on Wednesday that BGS handles a broad portfolio of facilities and services for state government and that members of the committee are the department’s committee of jurisdiction for policy or statutory changes.

Manoli told the committee that BGS now includes design and construction, operations and maintenance, planning and property management, the State Energy Office, purchasing and contracting, safety and security, government business services, fleet, mail and state surplus, and a state curator. “If you open up the umbrella, there’s a lot more under the umbrella than design and construction or property management,” she said.

The overview matters for the committee because many of the department’s responsibilities intersect with the capital bill and with bonded financing. Manoli emphasized that construction costs and materials lead times remain elevated, and she framed the committee’s upcoming capital conversations in that context.

BGS employs roughly 334 people, Manoli said, with the commissioner’s office staffed by four full-time employees and one assistant attorney general assigned to the…