3/31/2017 BOC Special Meeting
GORDON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SPECIAL MEETING
MARCH 31, 2017
The Gordon County Board of Commissioners met in a Special Meeting at 12:00 noon in the Conference Room of the Administration Building.
Vice Chairman Steward called the meeting to order.
Mr. Martin Vaughn, Gordon County Purchasing Department, explained that the committee had 14 RFQ documents to consider and he explained the ranking procedure. He advised that the primary criteria was the evaluation on whether the company had done complex courthouse renovations. He announced that the top three ranking companies responding to the RFQ are Heery, Carter Watkins, and Sizemore. Representatives of these three companies will be here starting at 1:00 pm and will be given one hour each to make their presentations to the Board.
County Attorney Ledbetter advised the members of the Board that they should let Administrator King know their top pick from the three companies and Administrator King will announce the number one recommendation to the Board at their April 11, 2017 Board of Commissioner’s meeting.
Administrator King advised that there was 14 submissions and in speaking to other counties, that is really a good response. A lot of the architects submitted some really good RFQ’s, a lot of them had courthouse experience. All three of these companies making their presentations today have extensive courthouse renovation experience. Administrator King asked Mr. Vaughn to give an overview of the different types of construction methods. Mr. Vaughn advised that the three types of construction methods are CM at risk – which was the method used for the construction of the jail; design/build – which was the method used for the Agricultural Center; and design/qualify/construction – which was the method used for the parking deck.
Administrator King commented that the county has just less than $12 million to complete the project and we know we have a lot of infrastructure issues with water, underground sewer that goes under the foundation of the courthouse and the electrical system, most likely, will be full replacement. These have to be a priority to make sure we have assessed and identified those problems. So, part of this process will have to be prioritize needs and make sure we apply our limited funds to address the most important priorities.
Commissioner Sexton commented that he would like to add that whatever company we use and whatever method, let’s do the best we can to keep politics out of it. Commissioners Steward and Cunningham talked about the need to cut down on the number of security personnel needed at the courthouse if possible.
The first presenter was Heery, their Executive Vice President Glenn Jardin came before the Board to make the presentation and answer questions from the Board. Mr. Jardin advised that his group has done so many SPLOST projects in states and they really understand what it means. They have done numerous courthouse projects in Georgia and have done this with the departments still up and running and serving the public. They have an in-house team, cost estimators, engineers and architects. They build a criteria grid that determines what is important to Gordon County for the success of the project. He stated that they hope to build a long-term relationship with Gordon County and work on future SPLOST projects.
Administrator King asked what type of construction method they would recommend. They advised that they want to engage a construction manager in the process, they can get a price from them as a lump sum to do pre-construction work. So they would want to, with the county, pre-qualify the CM and get real pricing. The CM would be responsible for how he is going to stage and manage the construction, it is his job to do, and we want him at the table.
The second presenter was Carter Watkins. Mr. Ben Carter and Joe Watkins made the presentation to the Board. Their power point presentation to the Board showed the many courthouse renovations and other county complexes they had renovated or built. They stated that Gordon County’s courthouse has been well maintained and the county has certainly gotten our money’s worth out of the 1961 building. They stated that Gordon County definitely needs a sally port for this project. They recommend design, qualify and hard bid as the construction method for the Gordon County project.
The third presenter was Sizemore Group, CEO for the company, Mr. Bill de StAlbin made the presentation along with Ms. Angel Kauffman the Designer for the company. They have completed numerous projects and have lots of experience using SPLOST funds. The opportunity to have the use of swing space is very desirable. When it comes to hiring subs, the contractor goes out and gets bids, and those bids are looked at, they will have three or four different prices, and here is this one price from a local sub that might be 3% higher but meets all the rules and regulations, they have a preference for buying local, the team may make the decision to use the local subs and make it up somewhere else. If the local guy is 20% higher, then we would not consider them. We always hope the local subs will be more competitive. This will be a phased project and lends itself to having local subs because they don’t have to come in from out of town and then leave and come back in from out of town with each phase of the work. Administrator King asked how Sizemore Group would be willing to prioritize the project for Gordon County when you have Cobb County calling wanting attention. Mr. de StAlbin stated that we want you guys, at the end of the project, to say that Sizemore guys are really good to work with and that you want to have a long-term relationship with us. We live and breathe for our clients and try to always be available for them. This company recommended the CM at Risk for the construction method for Gordon County’s project.
Commissioner Owens made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Sexton seconded the motion. There being no further business, the Special Meeting adjourned at 3:48 p.m.
