Board approves $515,794 contract for construction inspection at Bernice Matthews modernization after split vote

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees on Sept. 23 approved a consultant services agreement—$515,794 not‑to‑exceed—to provide construction inspection for the Bernice Matthews Elementary School modernization project.

Trustees approved the contract 4–2 after a lengthy discussion that highlighted competing priorities: the need to maintain project schedules and professional inspection capacity versus concerns about paying high consultant hourly rates rather than recruiting equivalent district staff. Trustee J.J. Phoenix moved the contract approval and Trustee Diane Nicolette seconded it. Trustees Beth Smith and Adam Mayberry voted in favor; Trustees Colleen Westlake and Christine Hall voted against.

Why the contract was proposed

District facilities staff said two construction project coordinator/inspector positions were authorized in the project budget but the district has been unable to recruit and fill them. The consultant agreement would provide staff augmentation to perform daily inspections and specialty trades oversight while district recruitment continues. Project staff said consultants perform daily on‑site inspections, monitor sequencing and material deliveries, and help prevent defects and schedule delays; public‑jurisdiction inspectors (for example, city building inspectors) perform discrete statutory inspections but do not provide continuous, project‑wide oversight.

Trustees’ concerns

Several trustees pressed the administration on hourly consultant rates—staff said the RFQ pool contains firms with similar rates and the proposed vendor’s hourly billing includes experienced inspectors who charge significantly more than the recently posted district salary midpoint for the comparable Grade 26 construction inspector role. Trustee Hall and Trustee Westlake argued the district should reprice and regrade in‑house positions to make them competitive with consultant pay and reduce long‑term consultant dependency. One trustee also worried consultants have limited contractual liability if defects are missed, and that the district or its construction manager at risk could bear remediation costs.

Administration response

Chief Facilities Management Officer Tammy Zimmerman said the request was included in the previously board‑approved construction phase funding for Bernice Matthews and signaled the contract is temporary and cancellable should the district hire permanent inspectors. Zimmerman said the district has reduced the consultant scope relative to past projects, will have a senior project manager on site, and expects the CMAR to continue managing many elements of construction oversight. She also said delays in hiring have forced the need for short‑term professional services to avoid interrupting project mobilization.

Vote and next steps

The motion passed 4–2. Trustees who voted against asked staff to continue working on recruitment and to revisit consultant pricing and contract language where feasible. The district will proceed with the consultancy while continuing applicant searches for permanent inspector positions; the contract includes termination language if the district fills those roles.

What to watch

Board members asked staff to return with options to improve in‑house recruitment and pay competitiveness, to assess contractor liability language, and to report back on whether the contract could be scaled back if district hires occur.

Attribution

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Chief Facilities Management Officer Tammy Zimmerman said in explaining the role of continuous inspections during modernization.