Interviews for Belmonte project set to begin Monday

SAUGUS – The Belmonte Middle School building project will be taking a big step forward on Monday, as the Construction Manager Search Subcommittee will be interviewing prospective managers at Town Hall.Subcommittee member Arthur Grabowski said three firms will be interviewing: Consigli Construction Co., Inc., O’Connor Constructors, Inc. and Shawmut Design & Construction.The subcommittee will then make a recommendation to the full Belmonte Building Committee, a decision Grabowski expects to make by the end of the day Monday.”We’re down to the three and they’re going to come in and pretty much sell us on why they should get the job,” said Grabowski. “They basically have about 45 minutes then after they leave we’ll discuss it then move on the to the next one.”Grabowski said the construction manager, also known as a CM at-risk, is the key person in the building process.”The construction manager is basically our representative,” said Grabowski. “He’s responsible for all of the bidding, the sub-bids and making sure the people are qualified so we’re not stuck with substandard bids.”The CM at-risk method uses the construction manager to choose bids based on qualifications, where the traditional bidding process relies on the lowest bidder.Grabowski said he’s looking for experience in school-building and phasing along with strong safety and financial records.”That’s very important and one of our top criteria,” said Grabowski. “We’re also looking at their workman’s compensation records and their financial situation to see if they’re financially successful or needed this job to be financially successful. It’s not just one person, it’s a team of people.”Grabowski said a major hurdle in the project will have been cleared once a construction manager is on board and the bidding process can begin.”This is the last big key element,” said Grabowski.The interviews start at 9 a.m. Monday in the first floor conference room at Town Hall.Matt Tempesta may be reached at [email protected].