Above: Hanaford Elementary is slated to be substantially rebuilt and expanded. Photo by Chuck Nadeau

The Town Council Monday (6/17/24) approved Consigli and Ai3 for construction management and Colliers Project Leaders to serve as the owner’s project manager for the $150 million school construction project, following the recommendations made June 12 by the School Construction Committee.

Their project proposals are here: Consigli and Colliers.  

The council needed to submit names of a contractor and project manager to the state Department of Education (RIDE) officials by June 30 to secure eligibility for reimbursement points. Town Manager Andy Nota now has the authorization to negotiate contracts with the two firms, and those contracts then will return to the Town Council for approval.

The project is ready to embark on Stage 3, as classified by RIDE, the design stage, which could take the next year and will involve finalizing designs and completing engineering. After that comes Stage 4, the construction phase.

Five firms bid on the construction management work: Dimeo and JCJ, Gilbane and SLAM, LKCO and RGB, Consigli and Ai3, and Shawmut and JAED. The fee proposals for construction management were, on average, in the low $20 million range. By June 12, the construction panel had narrowed to their top two choices – Consigli and Dimeo. Each committee member was encouraged to give their specific opinion on both. Town Council President Mark Schwager outlined the three elements with which to weigh the two proposals: cost, design and teams.

Nota noted that Consigli and Dimeo were both highly responsive during the process.

“It was clear to me that these two firms were extremely interested in trying to pin this down,” he said. 

Consigli’s proposal was around $1.5 million more expensive than Dimeo’s. However, members of the committee referenced current numbers as “soft costs” that are subject to change with negotiations, especially over a five-year long project. 

“I was looking to feel confident and inspired by what we saw, and excited. In my opinion, Consigli and Ai3 did that,” said School Committee chair Alyson Powell. She noted their aggressive schedule and confidence in their interview, as well as Ai3’s creative portfolio. 

Jacob Pray, a community member on the panel and senior project manager at Dellbrook/JKS Construction, voiced concerns that Dimeo’s construction staff was very junior. Dimeo assured the committee that the staff was adequate during the interview, and then added another staff member to the project. Dimeo was also recently awarded Warwick’s $350 million school building project, and Pray wondered if they had a big enough team to effectively manage both at the same time. 

Consigli was favored in part because of its access to staff. It has a partnership with Riggs Construction, a company with over 650 employees, according to Nota. Consigli also presented a potential modification to the work schedule, shortening the timeline by overlapping construction on Frenchtown and Hanaford elementary schools. Ai3’s design plans were preferred by the School Committee and staff, when considering teaching and learning needs, according to Councilman Michael Donegan. 

Consigli is a Massachusetts based company. They have worked on a number of K-12 school projects in Massachusetts and on St. George’s School in Middletown. Ai3 has worked on several Rhode Island projects in the last few years including the new Central Falls High School, East Providence High School, and Blackstone Valley Prep School. 

The School Construction Committee voted 7-0 recommending Consigli; the Town Council voted 4-0 (Councilor Caryn Corenthal was absent).

Four firms provided qualified proposals for the owner’s project management position: Jacobs Project Management, Left Field, Downes Construction, and Colliers Project Leaders. This position works to represent the interests of the town during the project. The fee proposals for the owner’s project management were around $5 million. The committee narrowed their discussion to Left Field and Colliers Project Leaders. 

The School Committee has been working with Colliers since 2019 on school projects, including the recently completed Stage 2 of this $150 million project. Powell said she had liked working with Colliers but was also impressed with Left Field, and held the two at the same ranking. Other members, such as School Committeeman Kevin Murphy, agreed that Left Field gave a very strong interview. 

However, Left Field’s proposal was over budget and around $1 million more expensive than Colliers. 

“From an OPM standpoint, I don’t see the value in overpaying. I think they bring a very similar option to the table,” said Pray. He said that there are more opportunities to make up costs with construction managers than there are with owner’s project management. 

David LaPlante, another community member on the committee, said there could be an upside to having a known company (Colliers) and and a new company (Consigli) working together on the project. 

Beyond cost savings, the committee found Colliers to have the most relevant experience out of the firms. They have completed over 125 K-12 projects, according to Schwager, and completed 100 percent of their projects on time.

The School Construction Committee voted 7-0 recommending Colliers; the Town Council voted 3-0 (Councilor Corenthal was absent; Councilor Mike Donegan recused himself, citing previous work his law firm had done with Jacobs).