Smithfield council awards $335,000 contract for high school ISE emergency project; members press for change‑order oversight

The Smithfield Town Council voted to award RFP 2544 for an emergency project to reconfigure three rooms off the high school library into an Intensive Special Education (ISE) suite. The sole responsible bidder, Red Oak Remodeling Inc. (Coventry), was approved for a base contract not to exceed $335,000; two alternates priced at $40,000 and $28,000 were discussed for later school-building-committee consideration.

Patrick Robler of Colliers Project Leaders, the owner's project manager (OPM) for the school projects, told the council the bid package included full architectural and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) specifications and that the single bid closely matched a third‑party estimate. Robler said the motion was written to include the base bid and to allow the school building committee after award to decide whether to add alternates while keeping change orders subject to council approval: "So because of the way change orders are handled in Smithfield, we would have to come before you if there was a need to change order the job during the summer... we crafted this recommended motion... to award based off of not only the base contract value, but also the 2 alternates that were proposed and requested for pricing during the bid period."

Superintendent Dawn Bart explained the educational rationale for the move: the existing ISE space is on the school’s perimeter, lacks an ADA-compliant bathroom, and has a garage door and environmental issues that make it less suitable for students who need life-skills instruction. The planned space off the library will centralize services and provide an ADA-compliant bathroom and kitchenette used for life-skills instruction.

Council members pressed for clarity on cost, timeline and oversight. Questions and council comments included: - Why the project costs $335,000: Robler explained that installing a bathroom and kitchenette requires substantial MEP work and that third‑party cost estimates aligned with the bid. - Timeline: Robler said the emergency projects are bound to fiscal-year deadlines; construction would start in July with a tight schedule aimed at completion before teachers return in late summer. State reimbursement for these emergency projects is expected at 35% of eligible costs and is typically reimbursed immediately upon submission. - Change-order control: council members expressed discomfort with automatic authority to add alternates or approve change orders without council review. The adopted motion explicitly required that any change orders be returned to the council for approval.

Councilor (mover) read the recommended motion authorizing award to Red Oak Remodeling with funds to come from the school building capital fund administered by the town. After additional public-committee discussion and assurances about liquidated damages for missed substantial-completion dates (Robler said typical liquidated-damage amounts are in the range of $1,500–$3,500 per day, often $3,000–$3,500), the motion passed.

The contract will move forward with the base award of $335,000; alternates and any change orders will require subsequent approvals as recorded in the council’s motion. The project was described as an emergency to allow work during the summer window when the school can be occupied for construction. State reimbursement and the short timeline were central points in council discussion.