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Commissioners approve top 3 firms for Judicial Center Annex and sheriff's office feasibility study; ADA named top choice
Summary
Surry County commissioners voted to approve a top-3 list of firms for feasibility and design services for the Judicial Center Annex and sheriff's office, with Architectural Design Associates as staff's top choice; staff will begin negotiations with the top firm and return to the board with a contract.
The Surry County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 21 to approve the county staff-recommended top three firms to negotiate feasibility and design services for a Judicial Center Annex and sheriff's office.
Purchasing agent Miranda Jones told the board that seven qualified proposals were received in response to the RFQ. Staff recommended Architectural Design Associates (ADA) as the top choice, followed by Fuller Architecture and North State Design Group. Jones said ADA was selected because its proposal included an on-site check schedule, a detailed plan tailored to county needs and in-house cost and time estimators to help keep the project on budget and on schedule.
County finance officer Laura Neely and Jones told commissioners that approving the top three will allow staff to begin negotiations with the first-choice firm. They emphasized that state procurement and statutes prevent the county from discussing or committing to contract prices in public before negotiations are complete; no county funds will be expended until a contract is awarded and returned to the board for approval.
Commissioners asked about timing. Jones said a contract typically takes about four weeks to finalize, with a preliminary starting price often available within one to two weeks of negotiations. Some commissioners suggested postponing action until the board's retreat to consider the project alongside other major budget items; others said approving a top-three list would allow staff to explore pricing without obligating county funds. Commissioner Bill Goins moved to approve the recommended top-three list and allow staff to negotiate with the top firm; Commissioner Melissa Hyatt seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Jones noted that North State Design Group was included among the top three in part because of a strong local history working with the county, despite having a less competitive written proposal than the top two firms. If the county cannot reach agreeable contract terms with the top firm, staff will return to the second-ranked firm and so forth, or reissue an RFQ if necessary.
The action allows staff to proceed to contract negotiations but does not itself authorize any expenditures; any contract would return to the board for formal approval.
