City interviews three teams for new wastewater treatment facility; recommendation to council Sept. 11

Spring Hill staff interviewed three progressive design-build teams this week as part of the procurement to design and construct a new, larger wastewater treatment facility south of the existing plant. City Engineer Allison Abel told the council the project is "one of the largest projects I've ever worked on," and that staff believes the progressive design-build delivery method will best control schedule and budget for a complex, multi-year construction effort.

What the city will ask next: staff plans to bring a recommendation to council on Sept. 11 to authorize negotiation with the top-ranked team; the final contract award is expected at a subsequent meeting after negotiations are complete. Abel said the selection panels found all three teams capable and that staff will bring the recommended team forward along with the negotiation timeline.

Why it matters: the new facility will serve future growth and replace aging capacity; design-build procurement is intended to accelerate delivery and control costs through negotiated guaranteed target pricing and integrated design-construction teams. The project will be executed as a major capital program and will require follow-on approvals for contract award and financing.

Next steps: council will see a recommendation to negotiate on Sept. 11 and staff expects the final contract to come before the council in October for approval. Staff also offered to introduce the recommended design-build team to the council before any final authorization so members can meet the team and ask questions.