Task force to continue limited advisory role to PBA; consultant outlines procurement steps

The Williamson County Courthouse Task Force voted on June 22 to continue in a more limited advisory capacity to the county's Public Building Authority (PBA), directing the group to assist with design implementation recommendations and stakeholder reporting to the Williamson County Commission.

The Chair presented a draft resolution to continue the task force in a technical advisory role; members then discussed expanding membership to include courthouse stakeholders. Mr. Schwendman noted the existing seven-member task force could expand to about 10 members by adding the clerk and master, the district attorney and the public defender; members agreed the draft would be revised accordingly.

Jim Cross, a consultant whose company (Oversight) has worked on prior county projects, described how the PBA selects designers and then brings a construction manager into the design process early to help set budgets and reach a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). "What that does is that ensures budget meaning that if you have issues with the budget early on, you have time in the design process to go back and make changes to the design to keep it within the budget," Cross said, explaining the oversight and bidding steps used to control cost and schedule.

The task force approved continuation of the group as amended; the Chair recorded the motion as passing with one abstention. Members said they hoped the PBA-led process and added stakeholder representation would keep the project transparent and reduce the risk of cost overruns.

Ending: Staff will revise the draft resolution to reflect the agreed composition and circulate it for review before submission to the county commission.