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Rockingham County Schools wins $42M grant for new Reidsville elementary; board approves RFQ process for project manager and design-build team
Summary
The school board announced a $42 million needs-based construction grant to build a new Reidsville Elementary School and authorized RFQs for a project manager and design‑build team, with a schedule that would seek contract awards in March.
Rockingham County Schools officials announced that the district received a $42,000,000 needs-based construction grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for a new Reidsville Elementary School. The grant represents the maximum award allowed for an elementary project under the program.
Superintendent Dr. John Stover and facilities counsel Brandon McPherson outlined procurement options for the project. After reviewing methods — design‑bid‑build, design‑multi‑prime, construction manager at risk, and design‑build — the facilities committee and counsel recommended the design‑build delivery method and hiring an independent project manager (owner's representative) to oversee the project lifecycle.
Brandon McPherson told the board that design‑build is faster and reduces change orders because the contractor and architect work as a single team; he also recommended a contracted owner's representative to review plans and identify cost-saving opportunities. He estimated a project-manager fee in the range of $200,000–$400,000 over the expected multi-year engagement and explained how a project manager can capture savings and catch specification issues early.
The board approved a motion to issue two RFQs — one for project management services and one for design‑build services — and adopted a timeline included in the board packet: RFQs posted (imminent), questions due Dec. 16, pre-proposal meeting Jan. 7, 2026 (on-site), RFQ responses due Feb. 5, 2026, interviews March 9, and notification of intent to award by March 24, 2026.
Financial context: the district said local matching funds total 5% (roughly $2.1 million) and that the county had already committed a $2.5 million allocation during the grant process. Board members emphasized the need to move quickly to preserve construction cost estimates and avoid unnecessary time-based cost escalation.
Quote: "Design build is a very popular option right now… it is the concept of a design‑build team, meaning an architect and a general contractor applying for the job and they are selected based on their qualifications," Brandon McPherson said. "An owner's representative can often save you tons of money in catching mistakes that may seem small, but add up quickly."
