Sherman committee unanimously approves architectural services RFP, to publish April 1

The Town of Sherman Senior Center Building Committee voted unanimously on March 23 to approve a request for proposals for architectural services and to publish the RFP package, including drawings and the contract, on April 1.

The motion to approve the RFP, submitted to the committee by e-mail, was made by Bob Ostrosky and seconded by Joel Bruzinski. Committee members agreed that the package should be reviewed by CIRMA, the town's insurance administrator, and that the town attorney's suggested wording on specific scope and contract issues be addressed before distribution.

Chairperson Karen Cardillo said she and committee member Laura Jagodzinski completed the final proof of the RFP and reported that the town attorney raised a possible addition of language to cover a SEAP grant if one is pursued, though Don Lowe said a SEAP grant is unlikely. The attorney also recommended including ancillary services (engineering, acoustic, technical and security) and tightening construction-manager contract language; committee members supported including those considerations in contract negotiations and interview questions.

Committee members discussed the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) language and timing. Cardillo explained that a GMP would be established after bids are received and that the attorney was comfortable with the current RFP wording. The committee also reviewed schedule expectations: assuming referendum approval, the timeline anticipates three to five months to groundbreaking and a total project duration of about 36 months from project start to completion under the RFP guidelines.

A procurement detail remaining from subcommittee work prompted further action. Jim Best asked that the RFP explicitly offer alternative line items for outside civil engineering and landscape architecture so the town can document costs and secure refunds if specific services are not provided by the architect. Cardillo said she would ask the attorney to add those alternatives to the RFP under an "alternatives" section and reiterated that nothing would be released prior to April 1. Don Lowe said he would send the RFP to CIRMA the following day and Cardillo said she would distribute a clean copy in the morning.

The committee then voted; the minutes record the vote as unanimous and the RFP package was approved for publication on April 1. No public comment was offered at the meeting. The committee adjourned at 7:36 p.m.