BURTON SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES CONTRACT WITH CONSTRUCTION MANAGER-AGENT

  

The Burton School Board approved a contract today (Friday) with Weaver & Jacobs Constructors out of Cuero to serve as the school bond project’s new construction manager-agent (CMA).

The motion was quickly passed 5-0 by trustees with little discussion, and the meeting concluded two minutes after it was called.  Trustees Demetrius Colvin, Sr. and Ande Bostain were absent.

Interim Superintendent Rob Barnwell prefaced the vote by saying the district had worked out the matters discussed during Monday’s board meeting surrounding contract incentives for early completion and any fees past the project’s estimated full completion date of July 2026.

Weaver & Jacobs’ total contract fee of $1,905,000 will be broken up by six initial monthly payments of $101,058, followed by payments of $72,184 per month over the following 18 months, unless the project is finished before the 24-month deadline. 

If it is finished early, the district would normally only owe Weaver & Jacobs the prorated fees through the date of full completion, and the remaining total would not be owed.  However, the district is choosing to offer an incentive by paying the CMA a percentage of the remaining fee balance.  The percentage ranges from 30 percent if the project is completed between June 2-30, 2026, up to 50 percent if it is completed by March 1, 2026 or earlier. 

Barnwell said after the meeting that while he normally would not like “paying somebody for something they didn’t do”, the time factor is extremely important with this project, so he considers it worth it to give the CMA a benefit to finishing early, especially since it will still save the district money versus going the full 24 months or longer.  He does not believe workers would stall in order to receive the full amount from the 24 months, as he said contractors are typically eager to get off a job so they can start their next one.  He said incentives like these are an “industry norm” from his previous experience.

Should the project not be completed by July 1, 2026, and the district still wishes to keep Weaver & Jacobs on, any future fees and costs would be re-negotiated between the two before moving forward.

The on-site project superintendent is slated to receive a total of $368,848 paid in equal installments over the course of 24 months.  According to the contract, if the project is finished sooner, the amount due will be prorated and not owed by the district.

Weaver & Jacobs will provide builder’s risk insurance for the duration of the project, with the district reimbursing the CMA for the insurance premium.

Barnwell noted that Reliance Architecture is still involved as the project’s architect.  Reliance was selected by trustees to serve as the architect in December 2021, the same time that DSA, Inc. was chosen to be the first CMA, but Barnwell said Reliance was not directly associated with DSA.