More than 70 subcontractors were encouraged to bid now for construction work for a new building addition at Worthing High School during a meet and greet Wednesday with the school’s construction managers.
“The people here today are very interested in the 2012 bond,” said HISD supplier diversity specialist Vanessa McGinnis. “We’re giving local subcontractors and minority- and women-owned businesses an opportunity to talk one-on-one with the construction manager at risk for this project, so they can learn how their business and services may be used for this project.”
The first phase of the project consists of building a two-story, 87,000-square-foot classroom building addition and afterward demolishing the existing classroom building, all funded under HISD’s 2012 $1.89 billion bond program. The new addition will be built into a 21st century school with flexible learning spaces and advanced technology improvements. It will also be built to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
In order to be considered for a Worthing building contract, subcontractors must submit their bid by 2 p.m. on Feb. 4 to B3Ci, a joint venture of Balfour Beatty and 3Ci and the construction manager at risk (CMAR) for this project. Because Balfour Beatty has a diversity affairs program, the firm wants to achieve a 40 percent goal of participation from minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) in its total contracts for construction services.
“We’re going to need large contracts from minority- and women-owned subcontractors,” said Balfour project director Jon Moreau. “The most important thing for them to remember is the bid date because if it’s late, we can’t accept their bid. They also need to do their due diligence and look at the plans and specifications for this project.”
During the program, participants learned about the project’s scope of work and 11-month construction schedule, which is expected to begin in March. Participants also asked about guidelines for safety on the site and specific bid opportunities. Subcontractors were encouraged to form a joint venture with another subcontractor if their firm is not large enough to handle a specific scope of work on its own.
Bids for plumbing and electrical work are in high demand for this project. There are also opportunities for subcontractors to bid for roofing, drywall, landscaping, painting, fire protection and concrete work to build sidewalks, screen walls and parking lots at the site.
“I studied the site drawings before I came,” said Kevin Calvin of The Project Manager Group. “That allowed me to ask more questions on the process of bidding for this project. I want to do drywall, framing and concrete work for this project because I love this community, and I grew up here.”