Orange County Public Schools accepts Gilbane PPEA, opens 45-day window for competing proposals

Orange County Public Schools officials voted to accept an unsolicited proposal from Gilbane Building Company and to advertise and evaluate competing proposals under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA).

Dr. Wharney, a division staff presenter, told the board that “earlier this week, we received, an unsolicited PPEA from Gilbane, along with RRMM as the architect,” and recommended approval of a draft resolution to accept the PPEA and begin the procurement process. The board approved the item by voice vote; the motion carried.

The resolution authorizes the school division to post Gilbane’s proposal and open a 45-calendar-day period to accept competing proposals. Staff stated that if the board posts the notice the same day, the 45-day window would close on 12/22/2025. At the close of that window, staff described the evaluation steps: the evaluation committee would meet to review and rank proposals, conduct interviews of the top proposer(s) if any, and then make a recommendation to the school board about which proposer to advance to negotiations.

Dr. Wharney said the division will follow the procurement process for competitive negotiation and noted that “we should seek out and take into account comments received from the public as well as from the local jurisdictions” including the Town of Orange. He also clarified records handling: proposals received by the board will be posted on the division website after the closing date, and the division will apply the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to determine the applicability of any public-record requests.

Board members asked about timing and committee membership. Staff said interviews were planned for the first full week of January (between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9) and that the goal is to bring a recommendation to the board at its January meeting (targeted for Jan. 12); staff said the final decision would occur in early 2026 if the timeline holds. One board member requested that incoming board members be allowed to serve on the evaluation committee; staff replied that the committee composition can be adjusted per the board’s direction.

The board formalized the commitment with a motion, stating, “I would like to make a motion to accept an unsolicited proposal under the public private education facilities and infrastructure act of 2002 and authorize an advertisement and evaluation.” The motion was approved by voice vote; the chair declared the motion carries.

The action opens a formal competitive process: other contractors may submit proposals during the 45-day period; at the close of that period the division will post proposals and proceed with evaluation and interviews before returning a recommendation to the board.

Details the board specified for next steps include the 45-day posting period (closing 12/22/2025), interviews planned during the first full week of January, and a target recommendation to the board on Jan. 12. Staff noted that any requests for records will be evaluated under FOIA and that the division will post proposals on its website after the close of the solicitation.

Proper names appearing in the record include Gilbane Building Company and RRMM (architect). The board referenced the governing law by its statutory name, the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002.