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Warwick building committee approves contracts, change orders and bids for district projects
Summary
The Warwick building committee approved a series of contracts, change orders and progress payments across district construction projects, including awards for construction testing, geotechnical services and site work, and authorized solicitations for a safety fence and continued RIDE submissions for Tollgate.
The Warwick building committee approved multiple contracts and change orders for school construction and renovation projects during its meeting.
Committee leaders voted to award the construction testing-agent contract for Bid 25-0018 to FINA (FENA/FINA Engineering) after staff said the firm offered the lowest unit rates among the top-scoring vendors. The panel also approved purchases of door hardware from Columbus Door and extended geotechnical/environmental services by GZA to cover construction-phase oversight.
Why it matters: The approvals clear several procurement and field-work hurdles across projects at Pilgrim, Tollgate and other district sites, allowing summer hardware installs, geotechnical oversight and demolition packages to proceed.
The meeting covered dozens of line items, including multiple PCOs (project change orders) and progress payments. Staff reported they had approved roughly $187,000 in change orders prior to the meeting and that the cumulative change order exposure remains inside the committee’s tracked contingency range. Committee members voted to approve individual PCOs (examples discussed included additional electrical work, ceiling and wiring remediation and LED lighting replacements).
Votes at a glance (selected actions approved) - Construction testing agent (Bid 25-0018): award to FINA Engineering (motion moved by Mr. Kravitz; motion carried). - Columbus Door hardware purchase (rim/mortise cylinders, specialized cores): approved (motion carried). - GZA environmental/geotech extension for Pilgrim and Tollgate: approved (motion carried). - Multiple PCO approvals (PCO 14, 16, 18, 19 and others): approved as presented (motions carried). - Sakosho/Sosio design change and related change orders for Tolgate High School (including metal-panel revision, CTC classroom moves and structural work for a detached metal building): approved (motion carried). - Consent payment authorizations and final progress payments across projects (Holland, EW Burman, BRNA commissioning, others): approved (motions carried). - Authorized staff to solicit quotes for a fence around Sherman retention pond for safety, to return with costs and funding options (motion carried).
What the committee and staff said: Committee members repeatedly urged clear tracking of cost increases that stem from external reviewers’ requests, particularly changes requested by RIDE (Rhode Island Department of Education). Staff said they will provide a breakdown of any cost increases attributable to RIDE requests offline.
What’s next: Staff will return with vendor quotes for the Sherman retention-pond fencing and will continue procurement and change-order work as approved. Several early-release bid awards and site work packages will proceed this month as the team advances toward interim GMPs (guaranteed maximum prices).
