PICKENS COUNTY NEWS 

 

Nearly two years after passing the $315 million installment-purchase agreement to fund a district-wide building plan, the School District of Pickens County selected two contracting teams to tackle construction of the district's four new high schools.

 

Trehel/Balfour Beatty Construction, of Clemson and Charlotte, will build Daniel and Pickens high schools. Gilbane/SYS Constructors, of Norcross, Ga., and Greenville, will be responsible for building Easley and Liberty high schools.  District spokeswoman Julie Thompson said local firms partnered with larger, national firms because of the scope of the projects. The contractors were selected through the Construction Management at-Risk process, a new method integrated into the state's procurement code last year.

 

Through the CM at-Risk process, which differs from the traditional bid process, firms were selected based on a formal proposal from the contractor, an analysis by district administration, references and an interview process. The selected firms were chosen from a pool of 10 that submitted proposals. "By going through the CM at-Risk process, we have input into the quality of the contractor," said Superintendent Lee D'Andrea in a prepared statement. "If the district simply took the low bid without considering the other elements, we would not have the same control over the quality of our buildings." The contractors' proposals did not include a projected cost for the projects, Thompson said. Instead, contractors, architects and district officials will work together on plans to determine a guaranteed maximum price for each building.