Board awards $5.67 million contract for Calvert Elementary/Calvert Country School planning

Sheldon Taylor, the district's supervisor of finance and procurement, recommended the board award professional consulting services for the co-located Calvert Elementary and Calvert Country School project to Grama and Parker Architects at a total not to exceed $5,668,074, funded from Capital Outlay Contracted Services and CIP funds. The board approved the recommendation by a 5-0 vote.

Taylor told the board a total of 16 firms submitted prequalifications, 10 firms submitted full proposals, and 4 firms advanced to the interview phase before the selection committee ranked Grama and Parker as the top firm. "We respectfully recommend that the board award the contract for educational program development, planning, design, bidding, and construction administration services ... in the total not to exceed the amount of $5,668,074," Taylor said.

Shichita Warner, director of planning and construction, explained next steps and an added study: the team will complete educational specifications and evaluate whether the facility can be made "net 0 ready," which Warner said could make the project eligible for an additional 5% state funding and Maryland Energy Administration grant opportunities. Warner outlined a rough schedule: complete ED specs, study net-zero feasibility, begin design in 2027, ready to bid construction in 2028 and, if all goes according to plan, construction administration work concluding around December 2030.

Board members thanked the selection committee for extensive review of proposals and asked clarifying questions about multi-year cost phasing. The board's vote to award the contract was unanimous (5-0).