Committee accepts VanZelm proposal to commission Tomlinson after cost escalation

Speaker 5 presented VanZelm’s revised commissioning proposal for Tomlinson, reporting the cost had escalated to $60,552 from an amount near $53,000 in the original RFP. He said staff attributed the increase to turnover at VanZelm and subsequent rework of assumptions.

What the committee decided: Speaker 1 moved to accept VanZelm as the commissioning agent for Tomlinson based on the submitted proposal and cost escalation; Speaker 3 seconded. Speaker 5 said the amount was "about $500 over" budget and that he would transfer funds to cover the difference. The motion passed on a voice vote with committee members indicating assent.

Why it matters: commissioning confirms heating and control systems are balanced and operating properly before final acceptance; VanZelm’s work is tied to the project timeline and prior references in the meeting to tap balancing and the need for a final wings check. Speaker 4 had earlier said commissioning and tap balancing were pending a pricing discrepancy between VanZelm and Wings and that a VanZelm PM was recently on vacation.

Relevant fiscal notes: committee members discussed options previously — to insist on a lower price or go back to bid — but elected to accept VanZelm after the explanation for escalation and an assurance that internal transfers would cover the marginal overrun. No further public-bid decision was recorded at the meeting.