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School committee approves technical review committee, PMA says high‑school project on track for bids
Summary
The committee approved a Technical Review Committee to authorize urgent construction changes; PMA reported RIDE 60% design approval, five prequalified general contractors and a bidding schedule targeting late May with a potential June award.
The Bristol Warren Regional School Committee voted April 21 to approve a Technical Review Committee (TRC) model recommended by the school building committee to streamline time‑sensitive construction decisions on the new high school project.
Chad Crittan of PMA Consultants told the committee the project had secured RIDE 60% design approval and that five general contractors were prequalified and had received the bid package. "We received our 60% design approval from RIDE," Crittan said. The team has pushed some bid‑date deadlines to allow for bidder questions, and was tracking a bid due date around May 30 with the committee expecting a recommendation to award in June.
Under the approved TRC framework, necessary changes that must move forward immediately require no dollar threshold and would be authorized to keep crews working; discretionary changes up to $50,000 may be approved by the TRC, changes between $50,000 and $250,000 would be handled by the school building committee, and items above $250,000 would require school committee approval and formal change orders.
Several members expressed concern about the size of the middle tier. One committee member suggested the range between $50,000 and $250,000 is "a big range for a group to approve without a majority vote," and asked the building committee to consider a lower cap. PMA explained the higher threshold reflects the cost of idling a large workforce in the event of an urgent site condition and cited examples where stopping work could cost the project hundreds of thousands of dollars in daily idle labor.
The committee also received permitting and design updates: the design team said applications and reviews were underway with state agencies (CRMC, governor's commission on disabilities) and with local planning boards, and that a student‑facing historic celebratory area remains part of the design. PMA said work to finalize security and front‑end contract documents was ongoing and that construction mobilization could begin within weeks of an early‑June award.
The motion to approve the technical review committee as recommended by the school building committee was moved and passed on a voice vote.
Next steps: PMA will continue coordination with municipal planning boards and return to the committee with contract award recommendations and ongoing change‑order reporting.
