Derek Porsche, the architect for the North Cameron Emergency Operations Center, told the jury that a sequence of manufacturing delays (notably a cast-stone delivery problem) and a transformer/utility delay prevented timely drying-in of the building and triggered change orders and an insurance-premium extension.

"1,761 and 97¢ was the extension to their insurance premium," Porsche said, explaining the fee was incurred to extend the contractor’s insurance while critical-path items were delayed and that the days of delay were documented.

Jurors questioned why the insurance cost would be passed to the project and whether contractors should have factored delays into bids. Porsche said the $1,761.97 was not a material cost but an insurance premium tied to a documented two-month extension; he described a 54-day cast-stone delay and a separate transformer delay that affected the project schedule. The architect said credits and debits from other change orders were being accounted for and that some items were owner-elected.

Several jurors argued that contractors should bear the cost of avoidable delays and noted the low-bid environment can produce disputes over what costs get passed to the owner. The project’s reported construction contract figure in discussion was about $3,011,000, and Porsche said net change orders were expected to leave the job with less than a $106,000 change total after accounting and credits.

Action and next steps: staff and the architect asked the jury to remove change order 14 (a wall-base installation item) from the agenda for further review; jurors agreed to remove it and have staff and the architect return with clarified numbers at the January meeting. Porsche also said he would provide additional documentation on manufacturer communications and invoices for juror review.