Tonganoxie board approves entering negotiations with Universal Construction for TES HVAC project
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Summary
The board voted to enter contract negotiations with Universal Construction as CMAR for the TES HVAC/capital project after staff presented RFQ/interview results, pre-construction fee details and rough project cost targets. Staff said final GMP and scope remain to be determined.
The Tonganoxie USD 464 Board of Education on Nov. 10 approved entering contract negotiations with Universal Construction to serve as construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) for a planned HVAC and capital project at the Tonganoxie Elementary School (TES).
Speaker 2, the district project lead presenting the item, said the district took RFQ submittals from about seven firms and narrowed the field to three through a scoring rubric and interviews. "We've made our selection of our CMAR, and that that's kind of where we're at tonight," Speaker 2 said.
On costs, Speaker 2 said the RFP listed a pre-construction cost of $12,400 and that Universal proposed a base fee of 2.25% of total project cost. "Quick math will get you on an $8,000,000 project that's $180,000," he said as an example; he also cautioned the final total could be higher depending on scope and that some management-cost line items in the RFP could total roughly $367,000 for three phases.
Speaker 2 described cybersecurity and building-control-system considerations at the elementary school, calling the existing control system the district's oldest and saying a technology upgrade may be necessary to meet vendor cybersecurity requirements. He advised against forcing the proprietary control system into a competitive bid because it could create incompatible systems across buildings.
Board discussion noted that HTK (the AIA agreement architect/engineer) is under contract for schematic design and that Universal would assist in design development and prepare trade partners if contract negotiations are approved. Speaker 2 said the district expects to have "soft numbers" in December and a more definitive Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and total-cost target by February.
Speaker 1 moved to approve action item 5.2 to enter an agreement with Universal Construction; Speaker 7 seconded. The motion carried by voice/hand vote. No detailed roll-call tally was read into the record.
Next steps: staff will enter contract negotiations with Universal, continue schematic design with HTK, and return to the board with a GMP and recommended contract terms in upcoming months.