The Marion County School Board received an operations briefing Nov. 11 on construction-management contracts, recent statutory changes to procurement, and several change orders tied to ongoing projects.

Interim Superintendent Danielle Brewer summarized that the district uses a construction manager delivery method with a guaranteed maximum price (GMP). Facilities staff reported Amendment No. 4 to the construction manager GMP for Buildings 1–4 and other work related to the new South Marion High School; the materials note a projected sales-tax savings associated with owner-direct purchases. Staff also described a guaranteed maximum price for a Fort McCoy School well-site replacement and noted a district-wide hydroponic-tank replacement at Chaney Hill, Ocala Springs, Reddick Collier and Harborview elementary schools.

Facilities staff said the hydroponic tanks were found in poor structural condition, permitting by the Department of Environmental Protection delayed the start of construction, and the district moved installation to weekends to avoid disrupting students. With the reported change order the district requested an additional 46 calendar days, moving substantial completion to Sept. 15, 2025 (from July 31, 2025), and final completion to Oct. 17, 2025; the staff stated there is no additional cost for that change order.

The board discussed a recent state law, House Bill 683, which amended Section 255.0992, Florida Statutes, to prohibit bid evaluation criteria that favor or penalize firms based on the volume of their current work; the Facilities Procurement Review Committee has revised the district’s construction-management RFQ selection manual to align with the statutory change.

Chair Dr. Sarah James raised a procedural concern about change orders being presented to the board after a project reaches substantial completion, advocating for earlier reporting so the board and public can see time extensions before work is finished. Board members and the attorney debated best practices; the attorney advised that timeline issues are appropriate to report when they meet the policy thresholds and suggested combining small subproject change orders if they aggregate toward the superintendent’s threshold.

No separate vote was required on the information items; board members asked staff to return to a work session with additional procedural options and clarification of practices for presenting change orders.