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Important Questions

Why go with a Construction Manager instead of the more traditional Design-Bid-Build approach? 

The Board of Trustees  chose to use a construction manager as the general contractor (CM/GC) method for a potential new elementary school.  

For many years, districts followed the design-bid-build method where an architect would design a school and give an estimated cost and the school district would ask its patrons to vote.  If the vote passes, the district would put the project out to bid for general contractors and the lowest priced bid would be accepted.

In recent years, most school districts in Idaho have turned to the CM/GC method because it allows for two important factors: 

Subcontractors are still selected on a lowest-bid process, but with the CM/GC all of those decisions are made together with the school board.  This allows the entire process to be more transparent and more fiscally responsible.

UPDATE: The Board of Trustees held a workshop on February 7 to interview the firms. Listen to Part 1.    Listen to Part 2

Click here to watch the discussion when the Board of Trustees chose the Architect/Engineer and Construction Firm at the 2/12/2024, meeting.

Architect/Engineer Firms Who Submitted Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

Construction Firms Who Submitted Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

  • First, it allows the construction manager to be a part of the design process, potentially avoiding costly change orders in the future if a design element that was bid for is not feasible. 

  • Second, because the construction manager is a part of the process from the beginning, the liability for change orders lies on the manager’s firm, thus allowing the school district to better manage its tax-payer-funded budget. 

  • LKV Architects - Selected at the 2/12/24 board meeting
  • Design West Architects
  • Slichter/Ugrin Architects
  • Beniton Construction
  • ESI Construction - Selected at the 2/12/24 board meeting
  • Petra Construction
  • Wright Brothers Construction