Washington County staff recommend awarding $7.04M courthouse renovation; Seltzer Orange low bidder on base work and most alternates

Washington County staff told a county committee that the county has a $7,037,083 budget for a multi-part building renovation and recommended awarding the base contract and a set of alternates to the low bidder, Seltzer Orange.

The report presented at the meeting said the project’s total budget is $7,037,083. Staff said the low base bid for the included work—with estimated soils remediation—was about $5.2 million. Architectural fees were listed at roughly $441,000 and the contingency on the package is 8.9 percent, which staff described as slightly below the industry standard of 10 percent.

County staff emphasized the competitive nature of the procurement: four firms submitted bids and the base bids clustered between about $5.2 million and $5.5 million. Staff noted Seltzer Orange had worked in the county’s building previously and was the lowest or second-lowest on six of seven alternate bid items; when alternates were added together, staff reported Seltzer Orange was the lowest overall by roughly $26,000.

Why it matters: staff recommended taking several alternates—carpeting, wall base, corner guards, painting, corridor lighting, stairwell upgrades and security film—now rather than later, saying doing that work at the same time as the main renovation will reduce total disruption to offices and likely be cheaper than piecemeal repairs in future years.

Key details and committee discussion

- Budget and contingency: Staff presented the $7,037,083 total. The low base bid with estimated soils work was about $5.2 million; the contingency on the overall budget is 8.9 percent. Staff said some savings from capital improvement project (CIP) lines (for example lighting and signage) were moved into this budget to cover included projects such as a generator, card access system, digital and exterior signage and some furniture.

- Alternates: Alternates 1–4 cover new carpeting, wall base, corner guards and painting in several office suites (including the district attorney and clerk of courts areas) and were described as practical to complete together because of phasing and furniture moves. Alternate items also include stairwell railings and flooring to meet current code, corridor LED lighting, and security film for some first-floor locations; the security-film item was informed by recommendations from a sheriff’s deputy who attended a nationwide seminar.

- Contractor selection and timing: Staff recommended awarding to Seltzer Orange, citing familiarity with the building, prior on-time performance and a compact project schedule that staff said would shorten the overall disturbance period for occupants. Seltzer Orange’s exterior work was shown to start Aug. 25 with a Nov. 7 completion date in the bid timeline; interior work had a later start in the contractor’s schedule but an earlier proposed completion, compressing the timeline compared with other bidders.

- Operating impacts: Staff said digital signage will have ongoing costs and estimated about $3,000 annually to operate signage in this building, the justice center and the PAC; those costs were said to be planned for in the facilities operating budget. Card-access systems will have ongoing fees, but staff said current expenses exist and that costs should be similar to present service levels though possibly with a different provider.

- Furniture and procurement: Staff reported a furniture allowance in the budget (about $300,000 indicated in the packet) and said staff were reusing existing county furniture where appropriate and using state contract pricing for purchases. The team said they are including adjustable-height workstations in several locations and evaluating ergonomics where feasible.

No formal vote was recorded in the transcript. Staff indicated they planned to proceed with awarding alternate bids the next business day following the meeting.

Ending

Staff said the county has funds on hand for the work and voiced confidence in the budget, the selected contractor’s familiarity with the building and the proposed 8.9 percent contingency. Committee members generally supported bundling alternates with the main work to avoid repeating disruptions and to capture current pricing. The committee set a follow-up around the November timeline to review kickoff and completed exterior work.