Council clears Burns & McDonnell contract for Rethink McGuire phase 2

The Warrensburg City Council authorized the city manager and city clerk to execute a professional services agreement with Burns & McDonnell Company Inc. for phase 2 (construction administration and observation) of the Rethink McGuire project.

Jason McCarty, a public-works project representative, said staff identified a cooperative purchasing agreement through Omnia Partners and used it instead of a formal bid; he told council that a second vendor provided a higher price. "We found out that through our finance procedure manual that we are authorized to do that in lieu of the traditional bidding process," McCarty said, explaining cooperative purchasing is already competitively solicited and can speed project start-up.

Council members asked procedural questions about the scope and asked for maps showing the corridor; staff confirmed maps were included in the packet. The council moved to a second reading by title and subsequently adopted the ordinance authorizing the contract.