Committee OKs Granger GMP amendment for Central Intake and Assessment Center; commissioners raise contingency, funding questions

The Macomb County Finance, Audit and Budget Committee voted 10-0 Tuesday to recommend a guaranteed maximum price amendment with Granger Construction Company for the Central Intake and Assessment Center, a major capital project intended to be funded primarily with federal ARPA and state grant dollars and County general funds as needed.

The committee approved the GMP amendment after project staff described the latest bid package, which covered 24 subcontract categories including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire alarm, landscaping, paving and roofing. Project representative Joe (Granger Construction) told commissioners bids were advertised Nov. 19, opened electronically and followed by post-bid interviews; he said the packages in the packet reflect the results of that process.

The vote moves the county toward meeting an ARPA appropriation deadline set by the Department of Treasury. "Upon approval of this GMP amendment from today's board finance committee and full board approval on December 12, 2024, the county will fulfill its obligation to commit the ARPA appropriation but before the Department of Treasury's deadline of December 31, 2024," Joe said.

Why it matters: the amendment commits the county to the prime construction phase of a large, multi-year project. Commissioners pressed staff on overall program cost, grant timing and remaining contingency; staff said the county still expects to remain within the broader program budget but will bring additional budget amendments early next year to appropriate any remaining general-fund or state reimbursement items.

Key details and funding mechanics - Project team members listed in discussion included Granger Construction, Palmer and Real Point (architecture), Jacobs (technology adviser), and internal county staff. - Commissioners and staff discussed a $40 million state grant that is reimbursement-based; county staff said the state reimburses within 45 days after the county submits eligible expenses and that the county will ‘‘float’’ the state portion during construction and submit monthly reimbursement requests when possible. - Commissioners cited program totals in discussion: speakers referenced a roughly $130–$136 million construction package and an overall program budget cited repeatedly as about $228 million; staff said final allocations for technology, environmental remediation and other professional services remain to be brought forward. - Staff said they had reallocated contingency earlier in the project. Project leadership told the committee they have approximately $14,000,000 in construction contingency remaining for the current construction phase if the GMP amendment is approved.

Commissioners asked about bidder irregularities and procurement checks. Project staff said two bid issues affected awards: one subcontractor rescinded a bid for joint sealants after a post-bid review and another low bidder for landscaping/irrigation was disqualified for failing to complete county disclosure forms; in both cases the county accepted the next lowest responsive bidder.

Technology and later packages Project staff said technology and certain specialty bid packages were intentionally deferred so hardware and systems can be purchased closer to installation (2025–2026), avoiding early procurement risk and obsolescence. Tom Giacchino of Metro Technology Services was named as a technology partner in the design effort; staff said Jacobs will assist with technology procurement packages.

Contingency and timeline questions Commissioners asked whether the program still included contingency and how much. Staff said the county originally planned a sizeable program contingency and dedicated roughly $10,000,000 of that contingency to construction, leaving about $14,000,000 in construction contingency for the current phase; staff highlighted that remodel and capital improvement work can be more volatile than new construction and explained the decision to hold larger contingency for unknowns.

Vote and next steps The committee’s recommendation (to send the GMP amendment to the full board for approval) passed 10-0. Staff said the next steps include full-board consideration and, after contract approval, submitting reimbursement requests to the state as eligible work is completed.

Approvals, allocations and budget follow-up were described as ongoing: staff said they will return in January with budget amendments to appropriate general-fund dollars and to reflect state reimbursement timing for items where the county must float initial expenditures.

Ending With the committee’s recommendation, the project moves to the full Macomb County Board of Commissioners for final approval on Dec. 12. Speakers emphasized the project’s size and the need to monitor contingency, procurement compliance and reimbursement timing as construction progresses.