Submitted to the Ledger

After reviewing responses from twelve firms in response to the August 23 Request for Services for an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) for Lunenburg High School, the Lunenburg School Building Committee has selected four finalists.

                The firms chosen by the Committee for interviews were: Collaborative Partners of Boston; Dore & Whittier Management Partners of Newburyport; Joslin, Lesser and Associates Project Management of Watertown; and Skanska Integrated Solutions of Boston.   

 
    The finalists have been scheduled to make presentations to the Committee on October 2 and 4 at the Thomas C. Passios School.

    Presentations by the finalists were to include an overview of the firm’s relevant experience; description of the project team that will be assigned to the project and the team’s knowledge of codes, procurement, and green development; the anticipated project approach; and the firm’s qualifications and capacity.

    These meetings were open to the public. A representative from the Massachusetts School Building Authority will be in attendance, and that agency will partner with the Lunenburg School Building Committee in selecting and appointing an OPM sometime in November.

    An Owner’s Project Manager is a legal requirement for projects in Massachusetts over $1.5 million. The OPM is responsible for controlling the project budget from beginning to end; minimizing schedule delays; facilitating communication between Town, MSBA, Designer, and General Contractor; resolving disputes promptly; and ensuring quality construction.    Funding for the OPM was part of the $750,000 appropriated at Annual Town Meeting in May for feasibility study/schematic design.