Byce & Associates tapped as architectural and engineering firm for Maurice Spear project
ADRIAN — Lenawee County is running right on schedule with additions and renovations at Maurice Spear Campus.
On Wednesday, the county commission accepted a bid from Byce & Associates Inc. of Kalamazoo for architectural and engineering work to design $20 million worth of additions and renovations at the Campus, which houses juvenile offenders ages 10 to 18.
Bryce & Associates was not the lowest bidder but has more job specific design experience in juvenile detention facilities than the other bidders. The firm bid $45,000 for phase 1 and 6% of construction costs for phase 2.
The Campus will have its first building additions since 1971. Little but cosmetic work has been done through the years at the facility, which brings in youth from 18 counties around Michigan.
More: Lenawee County planning Maurice Spear Campus additions to address space, program needs
It is anticipated that the renovation and additions project will cost approximately $20 million, with $16 million of that amount accounting for construction costs. Most bidders submitted base costs for phase 1 of the project and a percentage of construction costs for phase 2 of the project. The bids ranged from approximately $832,000 to $1,162,900.
The county received four bids for the architectural and engineering work. Each bidder partnered with other agencies to assure they were bringing their best proposal forward. Bids were received from:
The JDI Group of Maumee, Ohio/Elevatus Architecture of Fort Wayne, Indiana/V&A.
THA Architects Engineers of Flint/K2M Design of Cleveland.
The Collaborative of Ann Arbor/HDR of Ann Arbor/Kleinfelder of San Diego.
Byce & Associates/Securitecture of Noblesville, Indiana.
The bids were reviewed and scored independently by the county’s administrative team. Team members were happy with the overall expertise being brought forward with the bids. However, with deeper analysis, two bidders stood out —THA/K2M and Byce & Associates/Securitecture — which were placed on a short list for further review. References were good for both bidders, county administrator Kim Murphy said.
THA has some experience with juvenile detention centers, but the bulk of the firm’s experience is in commercial work, K-12 education, higher education, religious institutions and municipal markets. THA representatives said that they lack the state-of-the-art criminal justice design experience the county is looking for to address the expansion improvements at the Campus.
The firm partnered up with K2M Design to bring this service to the project. THA/K2M offered their services for 5.2% of the construction costs, plus contingency. The firm said it would not charge additional fees for meals or travel. Based on a project cost of $20 million, less $4 million in soft costs, their final costs were estimated at approximately $832,000.
"Soft costs" refer to expenses such as architectural and engineering fees and administrative expenses. "Hard costs" are directly related to construction, such as labor and the cost of materials.
Byce has experience in more than 240 corrections, justice and public safety projects. Most recently, the firm designed renovations for the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home. The firm provided a detailed timeline and benchmarks to ensure timely completion of the project.
The firm’s team assigned to the Campus project has significant experience in juvenile centers and jails. They are partnering with Securitecture, a firm with expertise in criminal justice, public safety, behavioral health, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, and communications/security needs projects.
Byce proposed a $45,000 fee for phase 1, which is for program validation, client meetings, and conceptual and schematic design. Phase 2 includes design development, construction documents, bidding and awards, and construction observation for 6% of the cost of the construction.
The firm will charge for travel, lodging and meals. Based on a project cost of $20 million, less $4 million in soft costs, their final costs are estimated at approximately $1,005,000.
Although Byce & Associates was not the least expensive bid, the administrative team recommended the firm because it had the most experience relevant to the project, the team’s experience and the projects the firm has worked on.
They are a well-known professional organization that has performed like projects and offered a lot of suggestions during a tour of the Campus, Murphy said.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Byce & Associates chosen for design work on Maurice Spear project
