General Contractor v Construction Manager

Sunday, March 04, 2007 at 1:37 PM EST

As a retired building subcontractor, I have been asked to do this blog to educate as many people as possible about the differences in contracting methods being used by Missouri public school districts. I am biased toward the general contracting method, as I believe that any public school board has the responsibility to act with total transparency and to avoid at all costs the appearance of impropriety.

Public school boards in Missouri are required to competitively bid for purchases, including facilities that exceed $15,000.00. When a new, remodel, or repair project is to be done, school districts hire an architectural or other design team to prepare detailed plans and specifications that meets the school's needs and budget. The architectural firm prepares the bid documents, an estimate of the cost of the work, and conducts the opening of the bids on behalf of the school board. Typically, when plans are complete, the project is advertised for bids, contractors summit bids to the school district, the bids are read in public, and, if there are no errors, the lowest bidder is awarded the contract.

Only one contractor, usually a general contractor, is employed for the work, and he is required to provide performance and payment bonds to guarantee that he completes the work for the price and time stated in the documents. The architectural firm includes in its fee the overseeing of the project, reviewing shop drawings and submittals, approving materials, inspecting the project periodically to be sure that the plans and specifications are being met, and all other details involved in managing the project.

Since the school board has already defined its needs by approving the architect's plans and specifications, the superintendent and/or the school board only needs to get involved when changes are proposed, and to make percentage of completion payments which are approved by the architect.