The Brazos River Authority board voted Nov. 17 to authorize an amendment to Gresham Smith’s 2022 professional services agreement for engineering services on the Authority’s Environmental Services Building.

Tiffany Malson, BRA’s chief environmental officer, told directors the overall project budget is $13,592,000 and staff currently projects to finish roughly $750,000 under that approved budget. Construction of the lab building is about 90% complete, the generator 94% complete and overall project completion about 85%.

Malson said unanticipated site conditions — including utility lines not located where drawings indicated, weather‑related delays and tornado response that diverted utility crews — required additional work that was not in the original scope. She said the south corner of the building, where utilities enter, lacked accurate as‑built drawings; Gresham Smith provided design services to redesign water and fire lines after staff identified corroded ductile‑iron fittings that posed a risk of blowout.

Because of those added services, staff asked the board to amend the construction‑phase professional services agreement so the not‑to‑exceed fee increases from $1,494,343 to $1,700,176. Malson emphasized the amendment is for a time‑and‑materials contract; BRA will pay only for hours and tasks actually performed, so the final amount paid could be less if the contractor completes work sooner.

Directors questioned whether the design team or BRA’s in‑house engineers should have required a more comprehensive subsurface utility engineering (SUE) survey before construction and whether the construction contractor had sought cost increases when given a 120‑day no‑cost time extension tied to an Encore power‑line relocation. Tim O’Brien, Gresham Smith’s project manager, addressed the board briefly when asked to explain the firm’s role in construction administration.

Director comments emphasized treating the episode as a learning opportunity: a more conservative approach to as‑built assumptions and a stronger requirement for site utility verification were suggested for future contracts. Director Lloyd moved and Director Wilson seconded the resolution to amend the Gresham Smith agreement; the board adopted the amendment (one abstention recorded from Director Embro).