Two firms pitch competing approaches for Londonderry Township municipal building renovation; board to consider award June 3

Two design firms described competing approaches to renovating the Londonderry Township municipal building at the board’s May 15 work session, and the board indicated it expects to consider awarding the project at its June 3 meeting.

Scott Dillow of Dillow Associates said his firm would handle architectural design and provide construction administration, review existing plans and develop a timeline. Dillow said his approach would be to “sit down and go over the scope of the plan, review existing plans, review potential changes, and develop a time line for moving the project along,” and that his firm could begin work in about two weeks if awarded.

Jerry Gorski of Gorski Engineering outlined an alternative using the SourceWell cooperative procurement program to treat the public‑sector job like a single‑source contract that bundles design and budgeting so the project can remain on budget. Gorski said his firm would outsource electrical and mechanical design (naming Bala Consulting Engineers for those trades) and noted that under the SourceWell approach his figures “would be verified by a firm called Blue Scope Construction.”

Manager David Blechertas and the board asked questions about procurement options. Blechertas clarified that if the project were awarded to Gorski under the SourceWell route “the project could not go to bid,” and that the township solicitor would review the legal aspects of joining SourceWell before the June 3 award decision. Both presenters said market conditions and bidding strategy could affect final pricing and that design-to-budget approaches were available under their respective models.

No formal award or vote was taken at the May 15 session; Blechertas told the board the intent is to place an award on the June 3 agenda. Presenters and staff discussed timing, potential membership requirements for SourceWell (which presenters said is free to join) and the possibility of using the Keystone Purchasing Network (KPN) or traditional bid processes for portions of the work.