Willis ISD holds construction procurement workshop outlining hiring rules, wage requirements and delivery methods

Blake Henshaw, a construction law practitioner working with Willis ISD, reviewed procurement and contracting practices for the district’s ongoing building program during an April 6 workshop, outlining when design professionals are mandatory, how delivery methods differ, and recurring legal and cost traps to avoid.

Henshaw said the district must hire an architect or engineer for most new school buildings and for alterations that meet statutory thresholds, and described how design professionals function as the district’s on-site decisionmakers and pay certifiers throughout a project. “They’re the ones that go and make sure…they will certify the owner to you. Okay. We can pay that,” Henshaw said, summarizing the design professional’s role in certifying completed work before payments are released.

Why this matters: Willis ISD is managing multiple concurrent projects — renovations, a new ninth-grade campus, and transportation facilities — so procurement choices affect schedule, cost, oversight and potential legal exposure.

Most important takeaways

- When design professionals are required: Henshaw advised that school districts must engage an architect for a new educational building when construction exceeds $100,000, or when an alteration exceeds $50,000 and involves relocation or removal of walls, partitions or exits. He said an engineer is required when electrical or mechanical work is involved and the job cost exceeds $8,000, or when student safety concerns make professional oversight required. Henshaw recommended taking a conservative view on “student safety” triggers and hiring professionals where there is doubt.

- Prevailing wage and wage surveys: Henshaw warned trustees that Texas prevailing-wage rules must be adopted…