Kootenai County approves guaranteed maximum price for administration building HVAC; requests $234,700 from fund balance

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 25 approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) proposal with Juno Construction for the administration building HVAC replacement and authorized additional fund balance to complete the project.

Director Vohler explained the county previously received a single construction bid in February near $2.1 million. By resequencing work and clarifying the subcontract scope, the county secured a Juno GMP of $1,878,525; Vohler said the estimated construction total, including owner costs and contingency, is $1,955,001.27. He told commissioners the approach produced savings of roughly $250,000 compared with the earlier bid strategy: "So we did find some pretty significant cost savings in doing it this way," Vohler said.

The county's current construction allocation is approximately $1,720,000, leaving a funding gap of $234,700. Commissioners approved the GMP and the requested transfer from fund balance to cover the shortfall. The board also noted the need to set aside owner contingency for soft costs and permits.

The action authorizes the county to move forward with construction under the GMP; Vohler and the building and grounds team will return with implementation details and schedule updates as work proceeds.