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School committee awards $8.97 million contract for Marblehead High School roof and HVAC
Summary
After reviewing six bids and an alternate roofing approach, the committee voted to award the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC base contract to Homer Contracting Inc. for $8,970,000; the low bid was roughly $2.12 million under the GC budget.
The Marblehead School Committee on Nov. 18 voted to award the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC replacement contract to Homer Contracting Inc. of Arlington, Massachusetts, accepting the low base bid of $8,970,000.
The award follows several months of subcommittee work and a formal prequalification and bidding process. Presenters told the committee the project’s general-contractor budget had been set at $11,090,000; the low base bid came in about $2,120,000 below that figure. Bids included separate subcontractor line items for roofing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and the presenters said many subcontract numbers were held constant across the GC proposals.
Committee members discussed a recommended decision by the subcommittee not to accept an alternate “liquid applied” roofing option offered as an add-on. The subcommittee reported it had considered the alternate but concluded the additional cost did not produce commensurate benefits for this roof and site given observed existing roof damage and required remediation. The subcommittee then moved the base contract forward for the committee’s approval.
During the public discussion, community members and technical advisors noted that liquid-applied systems can be cost-effective on roofs in good condition but that this roof has localized damage and complex repairs, which raised the cost of the liquid-applied option. Presenters also emphasized broad bid participation (six GC bids, multiple prequalified subcontractors) and that roughly 70% of the contract value is for HVAC equipment rather than the roof membrane alone.
The committee made a motion to award the contract (motion by Henry; second by Jen) and voted 4–0 to approve awarding the general-contract scope to Homer Contracting Inc. for $8,970,000. Board members also agreed the subcommittee will continue to provide oversight during construction and that the committee will seek periodic schedule updates so work is completed during the summer construction window and ready for students when school resumes.
The committee asked administration to return to the public with clear messaging on any remaining budget implications — for example, whether all bond proceeds had been drawn or remain available to be drawn down as the project progresses — and to provide follow-up on how any under-run would be managed or reported to the public.
