Newfields committee debates RFQ/RFP and design-build options for public safety building

The Town of Newfields Public Safety Building Committee spent the bulk of its July 29 meeting weighing how to hire a firm to conduct the needs assessment, conceptual design and preliminary cost estimate for a proposed public safety building. Committee Chair John Hayden said the choice between RFQ, RFP, design-build and design-bid-build will affect cost-estimate accuracy and whether the town can work with a single firm through pre- and post-vote phases.

Members noted that all firms responding to the RFQ were “highly qualified” but that only one submission included a dollar amount for services, which complicates direct cost comparisons. Committee member Bill Meserve and others raised concerns about negotiating fees under an RFQ process and the potential for wide contingencies in preliminary cost estimates. Fire Chief Jeff Buxton and Tom Grella discussed tradeoffs: design-build can improve continuity and potentially produce more accurate costs, while design-bid-build may better align with strict competitive purchasing rules.

The committee reviewed town rules, noting the purchasing policy requires competitive bids and that expenditures over $10,000 require select board approval. Members agreed to seek clarification from the town administrator and legal counsel on whether the committee may contract a firm to provide pre-vote services and then continue with that firm after voter approval, and to ensure any RFQ/RFP includes funding-contingency disclaimers. The committee left the question open pending that guidance.