Sedgwick County staff defend $70,000 architectural bid for new EMS Post 1 as commissioners press for cost detail

Sedgwick County staff presented the recommended architectural and engineering contract for a new EMS Post 1, saying the structure will be approximately 3,000 square feet and that a staff estimate for construction is about $1.3 million, based on the county’s Post 15 project built in 2019.

The county’s recommendation is to accept the low A/E bid after a second round of solicitations; the low bids for design services ranged down to roughly $70,000 while other bidders proposed fees up to about $165,000. Andrew Dilts, a county staff member who addressed the commission by phone, said the recommended firm reduced its price on the second round and remains the low bidder.

Why it matters: Commissioners sought greater detail on the proportion of A/E fees to total project cost and whether the county could reuse a prior preengineered design to lower fees. The discussion focused on cost-control choices for a project county staff said will be bid after the A/E contract is awarded.

Staff said the new post is modeled on EMS Post 15 but must be redrawn for the specific site and to meet current code requirements. “The entire floor plan has to be redrawn specific to the site that we are placing this new post on,” Andrew Dilts said. He added there have been code updates and that firms must account for site-specific design, which increases hours and cost over simply duplicating plans.

Sandy, identified in the meeting as the project manager on Post 15, told commissioners the Post 1 building will be “approximately 3,000 square feet just like EMS Post 15.” She said the county used Post 15 (completed in 2019) as the basis for its cost estimate and that construction then had been about $1,300,000.

Commissioner Howell pressed on the relationship between the A/E fee and total cost, noting that $70,000 is roughly 5% of the $1.3 million figure and asking whether the county could more fully reuse the earlier design to lower fees. Howell said: “It seems like the design we used on Webb Road … I don't know why you couldn't use the entire design as is.”

County staff said several factors limit straight duplication: different site footprints, local setbacks and easements, elevation and drainage requirements, and changes to building codes since 2018. Dilts said the A/E firm will not only prepare design drawings but also support plan review with the county permitting authorities, assist with bidding, respond to contractor questions, evaluate substitution requests during construction, and provide on-site oversight through construction — tasks staff said keep the firm engaged for the full project timeline.

On budget, the county said it currently has just under $2 million designated for the project, but that the construction cost will not be final until the county issues construction bids. “We’re hiring an architect engineer who's gonna design this, and then we're gonna put it out to bid,” Dilts said. “The estimates that Sandy is relating to you is simply a staff estimate … We don't have a hard number yet until we go out to bid.”

Commissioners asked staff to provide follow-up details by email, including the planned square footage and updated construction estimate, and to seek additional cost justification from the recommended A/E firm.

Less critical detail: staff said the recommended A/E firm reduced its price in the second solicitation round and that the county previously sought to streamline EMS posts by using predesign elements and preengineered building components to save cost compared with full custom fire stations.

Staff indicated they will return with the contract recommendation on the Board of County Commissioners agenda for formal action.