Council approves $15,000 pre-construction agreement with Myers Cherry for jail expansion and renovation

The Broken Arrow City Council approved a professional construction-manager contract with Myers Cherry Construction to provide pre-construction services for the jail expansion and renovation project funded by the 2018 general obligation bond.

Special Projects Division Manager Shannon Marshall said the contract approved on March 25 covers pre-construction services only and is for $15,000. Those services will include early scheduling, market-true cost estimating and coordination while design continues; once bids for subcontractors are received the city will amend the contract to establish a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the work. Marshall said the city selected Myers Cherry using an RFQ selection process and recommended the construction-manager-at-risk approach because the jail must remain operational for most of the work and the project requires close coordination on security and phasing.

Council discussion focused on quality and guarantees. Councilor Ford asked how the city can avoid recurring problems from low bids, especially for systems such as HVAC. Staff replied that Oklahoma law requires award to the lowest responsible bidder, but the city can reject non-responsible bids and requires bonding (payment, performance and maintenance bonds). Marshall said staff can require extended warranty periods for materials and labor and will work with the design engineer to specify appropriately sized HVAC systems.

The council voted to approve the pre-construction contract; staff said the contract would be amended later to add a GMP after subcontractor bids.