North Smithfield council accepts consultant’s recommendation of Parasol Builders as CMAR for new police station; final contract still pending
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Summary
The council voted to accept an engineering consultant’s recommendation of Parasol Builders as construction manager‑at‑risk for a proposed North Smithfield police station, while administrators said the town will finalize any contract and guaranteed maximum price after preconstruction work and additional budget review.
Council members accepted a consultant recommendation on Nov. 3 to pursue Parasol Builders as the construction manager‑at‑risk (CMAR) for a proposed North Smithfield police station, but officials emphasized that the council did not award a final construction contract.
At a presentation, the town’s engineering and construction consulting team (ECC) described a three‑step RFQP (qualifications, interviews, pricing) that produced four responsive firms: Gilbane, Parasol Builders, Downs Construction and DuPont/DuBond Masonry. ECC said evaluators ranked Parasol highest after combining qualifications, interview scores and leveled pricing, and presented a leveled total for Parasol of just under $8.9 million that included soft costs and add‑alternates.
Council members pressed ECC on why Gilbane’s submitted estimate was roughly 40% higher than Parasol’s. ECC said Gilbane used an in‑house estimator and included a later staffing date that raised their numbers; Parasol’s pricing, ECC said, reflected 75–80% subcontractor input. ECC also acknowledged that final, levelized numbers require preconstruction work to produce a guaranteed maximum price (GMP).
Town officials and the solicitor clarified that the Nov. 3 vote would accept ECC’s recommendation that Parasol be the firm selected to proceed to contract negotiations, but the council would not execute a construction contract or approve a GMP tonight. The administrator said staff will present additional historical assumptions and a schedule at the next meeting, and council members requested detail explaining why an earlier $4.4 million figure from October 2024 differs from current proposals.
A motion to accept ECC’s recommendation passed by roll call with unanimous affirmative votes from the members present. The council documented the acceptance; ECC will continue preconstruction work and return with contract documents and budget details for the council’s later approval.
The next scheduled meeting will include a more detailed budget presentation and preconstruction schedule, ECC said.