District staff present job order contracting to speed small capital projects; board to consider contract in June

John Boatman, the district’s capital projects and facilities manager, briefed the board on job order contracting (JOC) at the May 19 meeting, describing it as an RCW-authorized alternative procurement method intended to deliver smaller projects faster and with less administrative burden.

Boatman said JOC would operate under Washington RCW 39.10 and the district’s board policies 6220 and 6221. He described it as a two-year umbrella contract (with an option for a third year) with an approximate $4 million per-year cap and a $500,000 limit on any single work order. Under JOC, contractors bid unit-price books and staff can issue work orders based on those published unit prices to accelerate timelines for maintenance, roofing, mechanical, electrical and site projects.

Boatman emphasized continued oversight: projects would still follow the district’s purchase order and review processes, and the method would not replace large design-bid-build projects or GCCM work tied to the bond. He said staff will return in June to ask the board to consider awarding a JOC contract after an evaluation and sealed-submission process with competing firms.

There were no substantive questions from board members during the presentation. Boatman noted other Washington districts use JOC and described training and internal process steps the district would take before issuing actual work orders.