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Public works proposes construction‑manager procurement for five complex sewer force‑main replacements
Summary
Senior civil engineer David Powell asked council to approve use of a construction management contract (CMAR) for a package of five sanitary sewer force‑main replacements to reduce cost uncertainty and limit disruption; staff said the method brings contractors into design earlier and is already used in the region.
City wastewater staff proposed that council approve use of an alternative procurement method — construction management at risk (CMAR) — for a package of five sanitary sewer force‑main replacement projects, citing regulatory deadlines, complex phasing constraints and the need to reduce cost uncertainty.
Senior civil engineer David Powell told the council that the city has roughly 106 sewer force mains and that five of them need repair or replacement to maintain consent‑order compliance. He said bringing a contractor into the design process earlier gives the project team better cost certainty, reduces change orders and can limit disruption to residents and businesses.
Powell described the Aberdeen Road force main as the largest driver of the proposal: the line is over a mile long, serves three pump stations and presently is exposed in places such as bridge attachments and a creek crossing. He noted other problem areas where access is limited, utilities are congested or resident access must be preserved (Pump Station 5, Pump Station 22 on Gilbert Street and Pump Station 26), and said these constraints make a collaborative procurement approach more suitable than traditional design‑bid‑build.
Why it matters: Powell said the city must balance regulatory obligations (consent order compliance) while minimizing traffic and access disruptions. “By having the contractor involved earlier in a design build or a construction management, CMAR contract, they are able to help share in that risk, the risk of the unknown,” he said, describing the approach as a way to be “good stewards of our rate payer money.”
Procurement and process details Powell and staff described the procurement steps: an RFQ (request for qualifications) to prequalify proposers, followed by an RFP, and collaborative design and budgeting with the selected construction manager at risk. He said the CMAR structure retains separate contracts for designer and contractor but uses contract language to require close collaboration and transparent cost tracking.
Council questions and regional experience Powell said other Hampton Roads localities have used alternate delivery methods for vertical and linear infrastructure, with design‑build or CMAR projects showing fewer large change orders and tighter cost control in comparable cases. Council members thanked staff for seeking methods that reduce neighborhood disruption and said they appreciated the regional look at procurement alternatives.
What was not decided The work session presentation asked council to approve using the alternative procurement method on the consent agenda that evening; no procurement contract was awarded during the work session and no final vote on the CMAR approach was recorded in the discussion excerpt.
Provenance Topic intro: “Alright. Thank you. The next item on the agenda was was kind of highlighted a little bit earlier, but it is a presentation by our senior civil engineer, David Powell, regarding, piloting using a new procurement method, for planned, sewer force main, replacement projects.” (transcript timestamp s=2971.74) Topic finish: Council comments appreciating efforts to reduce disruption and Powell opening the floor for questions and training with procurement/legal moving forward. (transcript timestamp s=3833.635)
