Commissioners hear two approaches to new DSS building

Commissioners will soon decide how best to approach the construction of a new Department of Social Services building.

 

SMITHFIELD — County Commissioners are considering two options for building a new home for the Department of Social Services.

One is the traditional design, bid, build process.

“This is actually the most common method used by public entities,” County Attorney Jennifer Slusser told Commissioners on June 1.

Under that process, Commissioners would hire an architect to design the DSS building. The County would then seek sealed bids from builders, and Commissioners would award the construction contract to the lowest bidder.

“This process is well suited for projects of all sizes, but best for less complex projects,” Slusser explained.

The other option for Commissioners is known as construction manager at risk, or CMAR for short.

Under that process, the County would hire a construction manager, who would serve as an adviser during the design and then oversee the construction.

Because the manager would be a licensed general contractor, he could help the architect with cost estimates, material choices, and whether a particular design was doable. During construction, the manager would hire subcontractors using competitive bids.

“The construction manager at risk does hard-bid, first-tier trade procurement,” Slusser said.

That means the construction manager would seek competitive bids for the electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, site work, concrete and the like for the DSS building.

Under CMAR, the construction manager is “at risk” because he agrees to deliver the project for a maximum price and can lose money if costs go over that amount.

“We lean towards the design, bid, build because of the guaranteed price,” Slusser said on behalf of staff. “But there are definitely pros that are involved in utilizing the CMAR process.” 

County building consultant Jimmy Boykin agreed with Slusser. “In looking at CMAR, it certainly has advantages on some projects,” he said, pointing to highly technical buildings that could benefit from having a contractor onboard early in the design process.

That’s not what Johnston has in mind for DSS. “Our project, while it is massive in size, is fairly simple,” Boykin said. “It’s an office building. So I do not think that CMAR is particularly advantageous to us.”

But Commissioners Bill Stovall and Butch Lawter said even a simple building could benefit from having a construction manager involved early in the process.

“I have seen volatility in copper prices in the past where prices were only good for 24 hours,” Stovall said. “A contractor who’s got his finger on the pulse of the market can readily advise the design team and you can react nimbly to these types of challenges to control your cost.”

Lawter agreed that having contractor input in the design process was helpful.  “To me, there are fewer chances for surprise when you open the bids,” he said.

Commissioners could decide which path to take as early as their meeting on June 15.

 

 

Page last updated on:  July 14, 2026