BOND Building has been chosen as the construction firm for the new Wakefield Memorial High School building project. The proposed new high school would be built behind the current high school, on the site of the Shawn F. Beasley Track and Field. The athletic field would then be rebuilt on the site of the current high school. The project is estimated to cost $220 million. (Mark Sardella Photo)
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — BOND Building has been selected as the construction management firm that will build a proposed new Wakefield Memorial High School.
The Permanent Building Committee (PBC) voted unanimously last night to choose BOND for the high school building project after the PBC’s selection subcommittee recommended BOND. The subcommittee met twice last week and interviewed representatives of the four firms that submitted proposals for the project. In addition to BOND, those firms were Shawmut, Skanska and Suffolk Construction.
Funding a new high school still must be approved at Town Meeting and at the polls by voters.
The Permanent Building Committee is familiar with BOND’s work. BOND built the Galvin Middle School and is currently doing the expansion and renovation of the Public Safety Building.
Over the course of two meetings last week, the PBC’s selection subcommittee spent one hour interviewing and evaluating each of the four firms.
Each firm was afforded 40 minutes to offer an overview and background of the company and introduce the project team, including roles, responsibilities, staffing and management structure.
Each firm’s team discussed similar project experience as well as the challenges, logistics, schedule, site development, size and complexity of the WMHS project.
Representatives of each firm provided an overview of the schematic design, pre-construction and construction phase service plans along with construction logistics for the site, site remediation, environmental permitting and compliance.
Each firm was asked to address communications, safety and its approach to construction, including management, logistics, traffic and manpower.
Other areas that each firm was asked to address included workforce management (experience with unions, etc.)
Each firm discussed its approach to establishing and maintaining a budget as well as maintaining costs within the guaranteed maximum price, including minimization of change orders.
The effects of current construction market (supply chain, lead times, cost escalation and workforce issues) were discussed with each firm.
Following each firm’s formal presentation, members of the PBC’s selection subcommittee asked questions of the company representatives.
The subcommittee followed the requirements of Massachusetts General Laws in evaluating each firm’s technical proposal based on the RFP’s submitted. A numerical scoring system was used to rank each firm’s interview performance.
The subcommittee then opened each firm’s price proposal for construction management services and ranked those proposals.
Under the scoring system used by the selection subcommittee, the technical proposal counted for 25 percent of the overall score, the interview counted for 50 percent and the price was weighted at 25 percent.
After all the scores were tallied, BOND finished 0.2 points ahead of the second place firm. The selection subcommittee brought its recommendation of BOND to last night’s meeting of the full Permanent Building Committee, which voted unanimously to select BOND for the high school project.
If the Permanent Building Committee is unable to successfully negotiate a contract with BOND, they will move to the second place firm.
In December 2020, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) invited Wakefield to collaborate in conducting a feasibility study for a potential construction project to renovate or rebuild Wakefield Memorial High School (WMHS).
The new high school envisioned for Wakefield will cost nearly $220 million, of which the town will be responsible for about $163 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) will pay the remaining $57 million.
The MSBA typically picks up about 50 percent of eligible costs, but the town is looking to build a school that exceeds MSBA guidelines for spaces, especially in the area of athletics.
The planned project will add about $1,058 a year to the average single-family home tax bill or an average tax cost of about $88 per month per household over the term of the 30-year bond.
