Oklahoma County officials press for quick review of change orders as jail and behavioral care projects race schedule and budget

Oklahoma County commissioners and project contractors on Tuesday pressed for faster, clearer justifications of dozens of change orders tied to the county's new Adult Detention Center and Behavioral Care Center, citing schedule pressure to preserve funding and uneven progress on the work.

At a public meeting, Mike Partlow of White and Associates, the owner's representative, told the board that “Pre bid meeting is tomorrow, January 21 at 10AM,” and that the team was ordering long-lead items such as mechanical, electrical, security and precast to keep the schedule. Commissioners raised concerns that work on the Behavioral Care Center lagged schedule and that costs were accumulating: "About 11 and a half million dollars has been paid, which is about 25% of the contract amount," the chair said, noting the project is roughly 50% of the way through the scheduled time.

Why it matters: commissioners said missing the December occupancy target could jeopardize ARPA funding and…