Somerset Berkley Regional and Somerset Public Schools

1.     When did the Town of Somerset get invited into the MSBA program?

2.     Why did the Committee not consider a "model" Middle School for the project?

Sometime during the timeline of the events above, or shortly thereafter, Superintendent Schoonover and then Building Committee Chair Lindsey Albernaz asked the MSBA about participation in the Model School program and if there was an active model middle school program.  After experiencing a successful school construction at SBRHS, Mrs. Albernaz and Mr. Schoonover were eager to explore a model school construction project for SMS.  Somerset was informed that the model school option was not available at that time. The MSBA did pause its model school program for a period of time to evaluate the benefits of the model school.  In 2016 the MSBA removed all of the previous model schools from the program and initiated a new model school program, which included elementary, middle, and high schools.  At that time, the MSBA also eliminated the 5% incentive and updated the requirements and process for how model schools were evaluated for potential school districts based on educational program, enrollment, size, site, and other criteria.  

3.     Why did the Committee not proceed with Construction Management at Risk at the beginning of the process?

On September 14, 2020, the project team presented the options for construction delivery: c.149 Design-Bid-Build ("DBB"), and c.149A Construction Management at Risk ("CMR"). Both options have pros and cons for construction delivery, but historically, DBB, is the most cost-effective method for certain projects due to the competitive nature of sealed bids and the available pool of qualified general contractors. The new Somerset Middle School required careful planning and site construction logistics due to its adjacency with the fully occupied existing middle school, but it did not rise to the level of complexity that might be found on other projects that involve multiple construction phasing or possible impact to operations. There were also significant additional cost premiums associated with using a CMR, especially when bringing them on during the early design development phase of the project. The Town of Somerset also had great success with DBB when constructing the new Somerset Berkley Regional High School. The MSBA also eliminated the additional 1% point to use CMR, which was initially used to provide an incentive when CMR first became an alternative construction delivery option in 2004, which required the approval of the Inspection Generals Office.  At that time, based on these factors and other considerations, the Committee did not see the justification to expend the additional money or found it necessary to proceed with CMR.