Building committee recommends $2.48M construction award for MD Regional High School library media center

The Amity Regional Board of Education High School Building Committee on June 3 recommended that the full Amity Board approve a $2,476,000 construction contract for the MD Regional High School library media center.

District staff member Amanda Cleveland told the committee the district received six bids on the construction-only request for proposals, with five clustered between about $2.4 million and $2.6 million and one outlier at about $3.4 million. "It is apparent that A-Priddy is the lowest bidder," Cleveland said, and staff subsequently contacted references and reviewed the lowest three bidders before issuing a recommendation.

Cleveland said the district's construction cost estimate for the project was $2,230,845 and that the total project cost, including soft costs, was estimated at about $3.152 million. The recommended construction award of $2,476,000 is roughly $200,000 above the district's construction-only estimate; Cleveland said the district plans to try to absorb the gap from the planned FF&E allowance or by adjusting nonessential furniture items.

On FF&E, Cleveland said the budget included a placeholder of about $615,500 and noted a procurement change from the previous Connecticut state contract to the Massachusetts Higher Education Collaborative (MHEC) pricing structure: "We're seeing lower prices per unit but higher delivery and installation costs," she said.

Committee members asked about schedule, subcontractors and onsite security. Cleveland said the recommended bidder represented it could start mobilization quickly — accepting a letter of intent — and could meet the RFP's substantial-completion target at the end of December with final closeout by March. Staff said they had not received a subcontractor list from the low bidder and agreed to request one for the committee; committee members flagged that having that list is important for oversight.

During the meeting a member moved that the building committee recommend the Amity Board of Education approve the construction bid at $2,476,000; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote with all members present voting in favor. The committee's recommendation will be forwarded to the Amity Board of Education for consideration.

The meeting record contains inconsistent references to the contractor name: staff presented the recommendation as an award to "A-Priddy," while the motion as read referenced "Amity Construction Company." The committee approved the recommendation as presented; the record does not include on-the-record clarification resolving the difference. The district's procurement record or the full board meeting materials should confirm the final contracting entity and contract documents.