Pembroke Pines commissioners debate outsourcing of building department services; manager to return with timeline

The Pembroke Pines City Commission spent a lengthy portion of its Jan. 27 meeting debating whether to extend or competitively bid the professional services agreement for building department services currently provided by Calvin Giordano & Associates (CGA).

Commissioner Goode urged creating an in-house chief building official role, arguing it would improve accountability and customer service. “I think it’s probably very important… to start thinking about having our building official be an employee of the City of Pembroke Pines,” he said. Other commissioners defended periodic competitive procurement to ensure value for taxpayers.

City Manager Dodge said administration needs time to prepare thorough bid specifications and recommended up to a year to complete the procurement, though he acknowledged it might be sooner. Vice Mayor Hernandez and Commissioner Rodriguez advocated for shorter extensions if needed; Rodriguez suggested 30–60 days for a workshop to finalize specs. The commission did not take a formal vote on an extension and instead sought a firm timeline from the manager, with milestones and a cap so the commission can evaluate progress.

Representatives from CGA and the building office addressed performance concerns. Chris Giordano of Calvin Giordano & Associates highlighted internal metrics: “The average turnaround for all structural plan reviews is just over 3 days,” and gave category-specific averages. Steve Bazzillow, the city’s building official, said the department handles a high volume of public interactions and described procedural changes to reduce rejections and streamline contractor notification.

Public commenters and commissioners voiced concerns about contractor-side errors, private-provider risks and the need for a robust transition plan should a new vendor be selected. Commissioner Schwartz and others requested that transition language be included in future contracts as a safeguard.

Next steps: The city manager will prepare a procurement timeline with milestones and a proposed cap on how long the process may take; the commission will review and agree to that timeline at a future meeting. No contract award or extension vote occurred at this meeting.