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Council approves exemption to competitive bidding for Guerin Island river work to allow CMAR delivery
Summary
Following a public hearing, the City Council adopted Resolution 2026-11 to exempt the Guerin Island flow-maintenance project from competitive bidding and use a construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) process; staff said CMAR could allow earlier procurement and completed work up to a year sooner than design–bid–build.
The City Council on Monday voted to adopt Resolution 2026-11, granting an exemption from the competitive-bidding process so the Guerin Island flow-maintenance project can use a construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) delivery method.
City engineering program manager Ben Haney said changes in river flow upstream of Upper Bennett Dam have reduced flow into the north channel that supplies the city's intake, and that the project will move sediment, place large woody structures to redirect flow, and stabilize banks. Haney said the work must fit within environmental permit windows and the usual construction window is July 15 to Aug. 31. "Because of this limited construction window we anticipate it may take up to two summers to construct the project," Haney said, arguing that early contractor involvement under CMAR would allow early procurement of materials and better staging to reduce operational risk.
Why it matters: Staff told the council that CMAR/CMGC will reduce construction risk, allow the city to procure long-lead items (such as logs for in-river structures) earlier than under the traditional design–bid–build schedule, and could cut a year from the schedule with less operational risk to the treatment plant.
Council action: After the public hearing, a councilor moved and the council voted to adopt the resolution. The roll-call votes recorded on the transcript show the motion carried with the voting members recorded as yes and one member absent.
What to watch for: Staff projected that a traditional design–bid–build approach would complete construction after the summer 2029 work period; managers said CMAR could accelerate that by about one year and reduce schedule and operational risk, but environmental permitting and coordination with regional interests remain prerequisites.
Documentation: The staff presentation described the project schedule drivers, environmental constraints tied to threatened fish species, and how collaborative delivery provides a guaranteed maximum price process that manages cost risk.
