Committee recommends $8,000 contract for second cost estimate on Pawtucket City Hall revitalization

The City Council’s City Hall Revitalization Committee voted to recommend awarding a not-to-exceed $8,000 contract to Alana Construction to prepare a second conceptual cost estimate for the proposed Pawtucket City Hall rehabilitation.

The recommendation, moved by Kevin Barry and seconded by Councilor Rubio, passed on a roll-call vote of the members present. The award covers a square‑footage–based, preconstruction/conceptual estimating study intended to replicate the approach previously used by the city’s owner’s representative (Downs) to allow a direct comparison of numbers.

Committee members pressed staff for clarity about what the firms were being asked to deliver. Staff explained the submission requests were conceptual, square‑footage estimates rather than design or construction documents; a full design package would be required later to produce final construction bids. Staff also said the shortlisted firms told them delivery of the estimate would take about four to six weeks after a contract is executed.

Members questioned large differences in the firms’ fees and deliverables. Committee discussion referenced previously produced work by Downs (which committee members recalled had charged under $15,000 for prior scope) and noted some respondents submitted much higher-priced proposals or supplemental, full‑design price schedules that were not the item before the committee. Staff explained that some larger firms may subcontract estimating work and apply markups, while smaller firms may produce lower direct charges.

The committee also reviewed firms’ experience and references. Members discussed several firms that submitted packages (references in the record include firms described in the committee materials as RGB, Colliers, 5A/5A Design, and others). Staff said some bidders had past work with the city or the school department; other firms were newer to local projects. The committee said it would distribute the bidders’ submission packages to members for review.

Separately, the Masonry Institute offered to review masonry scope and comment on contractor qualifications once design documents and specifications exist. Staff advised the Masonry Institute’s assistance is most useful after schematic or construction documents are produced; the committee accepted that offer for later stages but noted IMI cannot vet contractors effectively until design documents define the scope of masonry repair and restoration.

The committee tentatively agreed to meet again to review the estimate and related materials. Staff proposed a tentative follow-up on Dec. 11, 2025 (with Jan. 8, 2026 as a backup date) to allow the selected firm time to deliver the requested work.

What the committee voted on

- Motion: Award preconstruction conceptual estimating services to Alana Construction for $8,000 (mover: Kevin Barry; seconder: Councilor Rubio). Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded as yes by responding members). The award is a recommendation/action to proceed with procurement steps required by purchasing rules; it does not itself obligate construction funds beyond the estimate contract.

Why it matters

The committee sought a second independent estimate to confirm or update a prior owner’s‑representative estimate and to inform whether the city should advance to schematic design and the larger expense of preparing construction documents. Because the project is intended to address masonry and historic fabric of City Hall, committee members also flagged the value of technical review from the Masonry Institute during a later design stage.

Next steps

Staff will execute the procurement steps for the recommended firm, request a 4‑to‑6‑week delivery timetable from the vendor, circulate the bidders’ submission packets to committee members for review, and report back at the follow-up meeting where the committee will compare the new estimate with the prior Downs estimate and discuss whether to proceed to schematic design.