City staff told the Richardson City Council they have received competitive bids for the new City Hall and municipal campus and recommended awarding the base construction contract to the top‑ranked low bidder while holding several architectural alternates for council consideration.

Project recap and bid results: Charles Goff (project lead) and city staff reported that McCownGordon (listed in the bid materials as the top‑ranked bidder) submitted the lowest and highest‑qualifying bid at just under $65 million, including a $3 million contract contingency within the bid. Staff said the project remains within the overall $91 million budget once alternates and contingencies are allocated. City staff said Balfour Beatty will continue work on the library and that the City Hall construction manager role will go to the selected general contractor through a competitive sale proposal delivery.

Why it matters: the project replaces the existing City Hall and adds a municipal campus with plaza, Leadership Grove and a new green. Staff said keeping the project on budget preserves a $10 million general‑fund contingency set aside in FY2022 and reduces the risk of higher escalation impacts on the city’s finances.

Key alternates and staff recommendations: staff outlined several alternates (with estimated costs presented to council) and recommended funding a subset from bid savings while leaving others out or to be explored later:

- Plaza and Leadership Grove enhancements: staff said these site and appearance upgrades were estimated at about $700,000 in their estimate and the received bid was roughly $400,000 below that estimate. The work would add durable recycled benches and upgraded plaza finishes and lighting.

- Expanded second‑floor patio: an expansion from about 3,000 to 6,500 square feet to provide a larger outdoor amenity for staff and selective public events; estimated cost about $330,000. Staff and several councilmembers said the space could serve staff needs and multiple public uses.

- Parking lot refresh/restriping: staff recommended an allowance for selective repairs and restriping; the item was reduced from the earlier estimate and placed in the base bid as an allowance where appropriate.

- Transformer location: staff recommended moving the site transformer to the periphery (added cost, about $300,000) to avoid dedicating an interior easement to the electric utility (the tradeoff preserves future site flexibility at additional near‑term cost).

- Rainwater‑harvesting system: staff presented a $500,000 allowance for a 10,000‑gallon, below‑ground tank servicing the new green/plaza area. Staff said the irrigation ROI was long (they presented an approximately 100‑year payback in the briefing) because the system would need domestic water supplementation in typical dry spells, and the operational/maintenance costs were not included in the allowance. Staff recommended excluding the rainwater system from the base award and instead subtracting the $500,000 allowance from the contract award and continuing to study the option.

- Rooftop solar: staff said rooftop solar is constrained by roof space and current technology and would likely provide only about 10% of the building’s load with an unfavorable payback (citations given as consultant estimates); staff recommended continuing to explore solar as technology and funding improve.

Budget status: staff reported the base bid plus selected alternates could be awarded and remain within the $91 million program budget after using the included contract contingencies and existing project contingency, leaving roughly $4 million total contingency for unforeseen items through early construction. If council approves the contract at the next meeting, staff said they expect to schedule a February groundbreaking and start construction in late winter with occupancy projected in early 2027.

Council reaction: councilmembers questioned the alternates (particularly the patio and rainwater allowance), sought details on emergency generation, vehicle life cycles for equipment, EV charging station grant status and whether any alternates could be funded later if needed. Several councilmembers expressed support for the base recommendation but suggested continued review of rainwater and solar as grant or future funding options. A few members expressed interest in adding landscaping and low‑power solar lighting options to improve sustainability without committing to the higher‑cost rainwater or rooftop solar options.

Ending: staff will bring the recommended contract (base bid with selected alternates removed or included as directed by council) to a future consent agenda and continue to refine the implementation schedule and funding plan.