The MCI advisory board for the Town of Concord voted Dec. 16 to increase the planning consultant allocation and sharpen its focus on wastewater analysis for the town-owned MCI site.

Megan, the project lead for the advisory board, told members the team planned to send a request for proposals under the state contract to seven prequalified firms — Agency, Dream Collaborative, Nelson Nygaard, RKG, Stantec, Utile and VHB — with a revised proposals deadline of Jan. 27. "We have 7 vendors selected that we're gonna be sending it to," Megan said, noting a one-week change to the previously approved timeline.

The board debated whether to rely solely on the state contract list or to open the solicitation to a broader RFP process that would allow interviews and qualitative evaluation. Several members warned that speeding procurement could sacrifice the ability to vet consultants for the project’s broad needs. "The RFP gives us discretion to interview and assess," one member said, while others pushed for the speed that comes from sending a scope-of-services request to prequalified state vendors.

Alan Cattar, identified at the meeting as the town's director of public works, argued that the wastewater assessment is time-sensitive and foundational to whether and how the site can be redeveloped. He described the proposed wastewater tasks — a facility condition and demand assessment, metering and connection studies for West Concord, and targeted field work — and said contingencies were built into the estimates. "There's a contingency and we can plus or minus," Alan said, adding that early wastewater analysis would clarify the costs and options before the town commits to larger planning steps.

Board members also expressed concerns that the original $350,000 planning allocation would not be adequate for the broad consultant scope, which includes planning, economic analysis and communications work. "I thought it was surprisingly low for the scope of services," one member said. Several members proposed raising the planning line to $400,000 and setting aside a 10% contingency for ancillary items such as historic or outreach work.

Peter moved to increase the planning component to $400,000 and add a 10% contingency, effectively presenting $440,000 as the consultant line to the Select Board; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The board agreed the remainder of the $725,000 draft budget would be allocated primarily to wastewater analysis and related town priorities, with staff asked to finalize details and present the package to the Select Board.

Members asked staff to balance speed and rigor in procurement: to use the state contract list to meet tight deadlines where possible but preserve an evaluation approach that tests qualitative fit. Megan said staff would circulate the RFP and coordinate site tours with interested respondents. The committee also committed to additional outreach to stakeholders and to reconvene in January to review proposals and next steps.

The advisory board’s vote sets the short-term budget direction for the MCI project; the Select Board will receive the revised figures as part of the town’s state earmark submission and related FY25 budgeting discussions.

What's next: staff will issue the RFP to the named prequalified firms, prepare evaluation materials, and bring the recommended contract award and any funding adjustments to the Select Board for final approval.