McPHERSON, Kan. — At a special meeting Wednesday evening, the McPherson USD 418 Board of Education voted to move forward with the Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) procurement process for projects being funded through a bond issue voters approved last month.
The district’s Facilities Committee recommended moving forward with this concept that was discussed at the March board meeting. Duane Cash from Incite Design Studio, which worked with the district on the bond election, told Ad Astra News this is different than the design-bid-build concept typically used.
“This allows the district to select the person they want to manage that project, and they hold the contract as one contract and they will guarantee a maximum price for that project,” Cash explained. This also allows the manager to be brought in during the design process to ensure the right choices are being made.
The CMAR process has been increasingly used by Kansas school districts and other entities. USD 418 Board member Perry McCabe has experience with this from his tenure as business manager for Buhler USD 313, and it does offer the potential for cost savings. “The construction manager can determine what’s going to be needed in terms of supplies, and maybe get those supplies at the time of the best pricing,” McCabe said.
The board’s action authorizes administrators to publish the required legal notification of intent, and issue a request for proposals. Under a CMAR, individual project components are usually bid out, thus utilizing multiple firms on the projects.
During the meeting the Board conducted two executive sessions, one on negotiations and one to discuss a number of matters regarding the superintendent search with a representative of the Kansas Association of School Boards.
