Township delays York Suburban intermediate school contracts after late engineering comments; low bids leave room for alternates

Bids for York Suburban School District’s intermediate school project totaled about $39.55 million for the prime contracts — general, HVAC, plumbing and electrical — roughly $1.25 million under the district’s Act 34 estimate and within the allowable 10% contingency, district consultants told the board on Sept. 29.

The project’s schedule and the district’s ability to issue a notice to proceed are now contingent on resolving a set of township concerns that arrived late to the project engineers. Township supervisors tabled action on the plan Sept. 25 after the township engineer’s comments were delivered to the project team the day of the supervisors’ meeting, the district’s architect said.

District consultant Wentz said the permit and contract steps that precede a notice to proceed include contract execution, insurance, recorded plans and building-permit issuance. “As soon as you have the recorded plan with the building permit, then you’re able to issue that notice to proceed,” he said.

Why it matters: The Act 34 approval sets a budget ceiling for school construction. The district’s 06/24/2025 Act 34 estimate was about $40.80 million; the maximum allowable on bid day (Act 34 + 10%) would be about $44 million. With base bids at roughly $39.55 million, the district has room to accept alternates that affect educational spaces, officials said.

What stopped the supervisors: Wentz and civil engineers told the board the township’s written comments focused on four areas: a dual bus turning radius at the Sundale entry, site work within an easement, an additional inlet calculation for stormwater inlet 325, and generator noise calculations that meet township decibel requirements. Wentz said the district’s team developed alternate drawings and planned a follow-up meeting with township engineers to address the issues.

Bids and alternates: The architect said the base bid included an educational alternate — an expanded “authentic learning lab” that makes collaborative learning spaces two stories instead of one — so the base bid already reflected that program change. Sixteen bidders participated across the prime contracts; many prime bids were close, the architect said, which he called a sign that bid documents were well-assembled.

Timing and risks: District consultants outlined a path that could keep the project’s substantial completion date in July 2027, but only if the district and township can move through the remainder of the review, the planning-committee recommendation and a board contract vote within the district’s planned timeline. The consultants warned that recorded plans and building-permit issuance are prerequisites to issuing the notice to proceed and starting contract durations.

Potential cost and change management: The architects told the board that if changes are needed after award, the district would use construction change directives and architectural supplemental instructions to update drawings and request change orders. Wentz said the likely cost impact for adjustments such as small curb shifts would be minimal, but legal agreements or escrow arrangements could be needed where site work occurs inside utility easements.

Public concerns and board remarks: Several residents and board members raised safety and process concerns during public comment and board discussion. Neighbors questioned whether two buses could safely pass at the Sundale entrance and asked about storm-drain replacements, sidewalk locations and impacts to nearby roads. Board member David Sanders and others pressed consultants about why the township review material was not shared earlier and cited the $2.4 million the district has spent to date on professional fees as a source of taxpayer concern.

What’s next: Consultants said they expected to meet again with township engineers to walk through the late comments and return to the planning committee for a recommendation before the board would vote on awarding contracts. No formal contract award vote occurred at the Sept. 29 meeting.