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Council authorizes Construction Manager-at-Risk procurement for Fire Station 16 after staff recommendation
Summary
City-contracted owner's adviser and design team recommended construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) delivery for Fire Station 16 to secure early contractor input, greater cost transparency and a guaranteed maximum price; council authorized staff to proceed with CMAR procurement unanimously.
Fayetteville'contracted owner's adviser ******* Group and design partners presented delivery-method options for the city's Fire Station 16 project and recommended the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) method rather than traditional design-bid-build.
Brian Roof of the owner's-adviser team said CMAR allows the city to select the most qualified contractor early, incorporate contractor preconstruction input to control cost during design, and set a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) before full construction. Roof explained CMAR's advantages: early contractor engagement, ongoing cost estimates tied to design milestones, and an open-book approach to subcontractor selection that can encourage local and WMBE participation. He and the project team noted CMAR usually carries somewhat higher initial preconstruction cost but greater budget control and reduced downstream change-order risk.
The project team described how the CMAR process works: the city issues a request for qualifications (RFQ) during the concept phase, selects a qualified contractor based on experience and capacity, the contractor participates during design and provides cost estimates and a GMP prior to construction, and subcontract packages are bid with transparency into pricing. The team said the project is about 30% through design and that the recommended procurement would help align cost and design before construction.
Council discussion centered on local subcontractor participation, project controls, and how the owner's adviser and Friese Nichols staff will support the city's project manager during delivery. Staff said the city's project manager will remain in a direct oversight role and that the owner's adviser will provide additional project controls and oversight, not replace city staff.
Council action: Council voted unanimously to authorize staff to use the CMAR delivery method for Fire Station 16 and proceed with procurement of a CMAR partner. Staff said the same evaluation approach will be applied to future major capital projects to determine the most appropriate delivery method.
Ending: Staff will begin the CMAR procurement process and continue design-to-budget coordination with the owner's adviser and the design team; the city expects to return to council on contract award and GMP setting as required under procurement rules.
