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Commission approves GMP for East Water Reclamation Facility; construction to begin this summer
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Summary
The Winter Springs City Commission approved a guaranteed maximum price (about $65.85 million with ~$5.5 million contingency) for the East Water Reclamation Facility and authorized next steps to begin construction, with funding from SRF loans, state appropriations (including principal forgiveness) and grants.
The Winter Springs City Commission voted unanimously March 23 to approve a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the East Water Reclamation Facility and to authorize staff to proceed with procurement and early mobilization.
Engineers and the construction manager presented the project's final cost estimate and schedule before the vote. Eric Anderson of Wharton Smith said the competitively bid GMP, including contingency, totals $65,847,589 and that remaining contingency on the contract is about $5,500,000. Anderson said the team expects early mobilization in June and projected final completion in November 2028.
"We put together 37 bid packages, received 85 competitive bids and evaluated each package for completeness," Anderson said, describing a bid process he said produced a detailed cost breakdown and narrowed contingency. Scott Richards of Carlow Engineers added that the design team continued value engineering and will return any cost savings to the city.
Project funding confirmed in the presentation includes a $54,000,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan, approximately $19,000,000 in recent state appropriations tied to hurricane relief (described in the meeting as carrying roughly 50% principal forgiveness) and a $600,000 stormwater grant from the Protecting Florida Together program. City staff told commissioners they have secured roughly $70 million to $76 million in combined funding sources to cover design, construction and related costs.
Commissioners and staff framed the vote as a long-awaited step toward replacing aging wastewater infrastructure. The commission noted the rate increases previously adopted that enabled the city to meet financial commitments for the utility capital program. "This plant should have been replaced 10 years ago," the chair said during discussion, thanking staff and consultants for bringing the project to construction readiness.
Following the vote, staff said they will begin issuing purchase orders and subcontracts, continue value-engineering work, and pursue owner-direct purchase strategies to capture tax savings on major equipment purchases.
The commission approved the GMP motion made by Deputy Mayor Cade Resnick and seconded by Commissioner Sarah Baker; the vote was recorded as unanimous.
