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Council told Amendment 1 will add $1.99M to owner's‑rep contract for Brighton water treatment plant; staff say cost covered by contingency
Summary
Utilities staff recommended a contract amendment that would add $1,989,202 to the owner's representative contract with Corolla Engineers to extend on‑site advisory, commissioning and inspection work after design changes led the city to build a new plant rather than expand the old one; staff said the money will come from the project's contingency and is within the previously approved $168M project budget.
Brighton utilities staff presented Amendment 1 to the owner’s representative contract for the city’s new water treatment plant, recommending council accept changes totaling $1,989,202 to Corolla Engineers’ contract to cover extended advisory, startup and commissioning services.
Utilities Director Scott Olsen explained the original owner’s representative contract with Corolla Engineers was executed on Oct. 12, 2022, for about $6.3 million with an original schedule reflecting a December 2025 completion. He said the city later redesigned the project — moving from an enlargement of the existing plant to a new facility — which extended construction time and increased the owner's‑rep workload on redesign, cost estimating and ongoing field engineering. “Staff’s recommendation is at a future city council meeting that you accept the proposed changes to the contract in the amount of $1,989,202, as further described in the First Amendment,” Olsen said.
Olsen and Corolla representatives told council the additional funds primarily cover longer on‑site advisory and inspection services (startup and commissioning support, additional inspections and some direct costs such as mileage); they said remaining project budget items (project management, admin support and resident engineering) have sufficient budget and that the amendment moves dollars into startup/commissioning and inspection line items. Scott Olsen emphasized that the funding for the amendment has been accounted for in the overall water treatment plant budget and is drawn from the project's contingency so it does not increase the overall authorized project cost.
Council members sought clarification on how much of the $1.989 million reflects extra design or change orders versus extended time to carry the owner's rep through construction. Corolla's on‑site lead said the amendment primarily compensates the firm for being on site longer and advising through a larger, newly designed plant. City Manager Martinez reminded council that council previously authorized moving from an expansion to a new plant and approved a total project budget in the vicinity of $168 million; staff said Amendment 1 reallocates contingency savings and does not require a new appropriation.
Councillors asked about timing; staff said construction completion was currently anticipated in a September–October window with commissioning continuing 3–6 months after, and that the owner's‑rep role could extend to roughly March 2027. Scott Olsen said staff would place the amendment on a future consent agenda unless a council member objects.
Staff committed to provide more detailed line‑item support for the change if council requests it; no formal vote was taken at the study session, and staff will present the amendment for council action at a subsequent meeting.
