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Subcommittee reviews U of A Fayetteville’s proposed $100M academic building and alternative delivery plan
Summary
Members reviewed a U of A Fayetteville proposal for a 100,000-square-foot academic building in the McElroy District, estimated at $100 million with CDI selected as contractor and Huff/Hough as design professional; the university said it will negotiate a guaranteed maximum price during design and aims for June 2029 completion.
The Review Subcommittee examined methods of finance and an alternative delivery procurement for a proposed University of Arkansas Fayetteville academic classroom building. Katie Walden summarized the project as a 100,000 gross-square-foot facility that will add about 2,300 seats, create an innovation hub and be located on the main campus adjacent to the Walton College of Business. The university has received nine contractor proposals, interviewed four firms, selected CDI Contractors for construction and named Huff/Hough Projects as the design professional; the estimated total project cost is $100,000,000 with a projected completion of June 2029.
University representatives told members they have completed space and program studies and presented contractor and architect selections to their board of trustees, but have not finalized full construction contracts. Clayton Hamilton, senior associate vice chancellor for campus services at UAF, said the university will negotiate a guaranteed maximum price before proceeding with construction: "We will reach a guaranteed maximum price with the contractor before we move forward with the project," he said, and described an ongoing design phase that will include a contractor to assist with cost estimating.
Representative Bryant questioned the $1,000 per-square-foot estimate and asked what drives that figure. University staff said the $1,000 estimate is a high-end figure intended to include contingencies and reflects recent cost escalations; final costs will be refined during design and estimating.
The committee voted to review the methods of finance and the alternative delivery request; no final construction contract award or finance authorization was recorded in this meeting. University staff said they will return with finalized contracts and a guaranteed maximum price when design and estimating are complete.
Next steps: university will continue design, provide GMP estimates, and return to the committee with contract documents when ready.
