Middle school renovation receives competitive bids; award delayed pending conservation-district permit

At the Dec. 17 property committee meeting, project consultants reported apparent low bidders for the Springfield Township School District middle school renovation and described a critical permit delay with the Montgomery County Conservation District that could delay contract awards.

Doug Taylor, the district project representative, reviewed approvals and the project schedule and identified the conservation district’s signoff on erosion and sediment controls as the critical-path item. "We were due our response from the conservation district last month, and we have not received it," Taylor said. "We need the conservation district approval in order to move forward with the project in order to receive a permit from the township."

Taylor told the committee bidders were responsive and that the project attracted several qualified trades despite a crowded bidding market. The apparent low general contractor was Bracey Construction, the apparent low mechanical contractor was JBM Mechanical, the apparent low electrical contractor was ElectroTech, and Reynolds was the apparent low plumbing bidder. Taylor described the bids as favorable overall and said the base bid sat about $70,000 under the project budget before recommended alternates.

The design team reviewed bid alternates and staff recommendations. Notable alternates and figures presented to the committee included: - An unclassified excavation allowance: $91,000 (not recommended; staff said pay-as-you-go unit pricing would be preferable). - Stone building pad alternate: $230,000 (not recommended). - One-to-two-year warranty extension: $147,000 (not recommended). - Solar and substation work: a new electrical substation to accept rooftop solar — $648,000 for the substation plus additional contractor-installed costs (auditorium roof array $337,000; arts wing $215,000; three-story classroom wing $415,000); payback estimate for rooftop solar as presented was about 26 years with current utility rates. - Green roof at the auditorium: $231,000 (alternative to solar, noted as difficult to maintain given limited roof access). - Replacement of noisy classroom unit ventilators (recommended): combined add of $1,035,650 across trades (general contractor, mechanical and electrical) — staff recommended accepting this alternate as good long-term value. - Sun-control louvers at the cafeteria (recommended): $88,100. - Whole-building water softener (recommended): $93,000. - Controls extension for an add of $90,000 (not recommended at that price).

Taylor said the base bid being under budget allowed staff to recommend several of the value-add alternates (unit ventilators, louvers, water softener) and still remain within overall project parameters. The presentation showed project contingency was reduced from $1.5 million to $1.0 million, with contractors’ allowances totaling about $1.4 million to cover certain unforeseen conditions. Furniture, fixtures and equipment remained at $250,000, technology at $175,000.

Electrical designer Shane Nyper explained why solar requires an electrical-substation upgrade: "The switchgear is currently located in the basement of the middle school ... that existing gear is out of space. So to add solar ... the first step would need to be to extend or replace the unit substation in the basement." Nyper said the utility and the added gear increase upfront cost and lengthen solar payback.

Because the conservation district review is delayed, project staff urged caution about awarding contracts before permits are issued. Taylor said he did not want the district to sign prime contracts and then face a situation in which the contractors could legitimately claim delay damages if the district could not provide the site on the planned start date. "If we approve those contracts, you now have four prime contractors that have an agreement with the district that are expecting to start a project on March 15th. And if the conservation district doesn't move forward ... they're going to start saying ... delay letters," Taylor said.

The committee discussed scheduling. Members agreed to cancel an interim Jan. 7 board meeting that was intended solely to approve contracts if the conservation-district approval is not in hand; the board will instead target the regular Jan. 21 meeting for award decisions. The committee set a procedural deadline of Friday, Jan. 17 for receiving the conservation-district paperwork in order to include contract awards on the Jan. 21 agenda; if the paperwork does not arrive, awards would be deferred to the February meeting.

No contract awards were executed in the meeting; staff recommended continuing to monitor approvals and returning to the board when permits are in hand and the district is able to confirm a start date for contractors.

The committee also received brief maintenance updates on unrelated projects including the LGI carpeting and chair installation, completion of a ramp at Erdenheim, bleacher assembly, and final punch-list work on the high school roof.