HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form dated July 14, 2026ITEM #:48
DATE:07-14-26
DEPT:FLEET/FIRE
SUBJECT:AGREEMENT WITH DENOVO CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS, INC FOR
CONSTRUCTION ADVISOR SERVICES FOR AMES FIRE STATION NO. 2
PROJECT
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
At the Council meeting on January 13, 2026, the City Council approved a change order to a
contract with Brown Reynolds Watford Architects (BWR) of College Station, TX, to provide
final design and construction services for the Ames Fire Station No. 2 project. This action
kicked off final design development activities for the project.
City staff anticipates the need for a construction advisor during the design phase to
assist in cost estimating and control as well as provide part-time project representation
on site during construction. These types of services are provided in the form of a
Construction Advisor (CA or Owner ’s Representative). The Construction Advisor is retained
during the design phase and acts as an extension of City staff.
The Construction Advisor (Owner ’s Representative) will regularly visit the construction project
to observe and report on the progress of work. The Construction Advisor will represent the
Owner in decisions to be made as progress during the various phases of design development,
bidding, and all phases during construction including site visits, commissioning, etc. The
Construction Advisor will support planning, design, procurement, and construction of the City
of Ames Fire Station No. 2 project.
Services are intended to assist the Owner through budget and schedule awareness,
constructability review, procurement support, construction phase advisory services, change
order support, pay application review, issue observation reports, stakeholder coordination, and
project closeout support.
It is important to note that the Construction Advisor will not perform any of the work during the
construction phase. The Construction Advisor will not provide any of the "general conditions"
services in its scope (e.g., fencing, job trailer, temporary utilities, snow removal, portable
toilets, etc.). These items will be provided by the Contractor.
A Request for Qualifications (RFQu) was issued for Construction Advisor Services for Ames
Fire Station No. 2 on April 13, 2026, through AmesBids, the City's electronic bidding system.
Four responses were received on May 1, 2026. The ranking and cost for the in the table
below.
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Consultants Evaluation Rank Proposed Cost
Denovo Construction
Solutions, West Des Moines,
IA
1 $95,000
Integrity Construction,
Ames, IA 2 $126,000
Lang Construction Group, Inc.
Grimes, IA 3 $133,400
Sidekick Development,
Des Moines, IA 4 $288,750
An evaluation team reviewed the proposals based on: 1) Qualifications, Background and
Experience of the individual team member who will provide construction advisor services, 2)
Experience with similar size and types of projects, and project references, 3) Organization,
clarity, completeness and responsiveness to RFQu, and 4) cost proposal.
The evaluation team invited the top two firms for an interview. The interviews were evaluated
based on: 1) the firm’s understanding of the project and the scope of services including the
response to a list of questions, 2) demonstrating their cohesive approach with similar projects,
3) Construction Advisor ’s knowledge and relevant experience assigned to perform the
services, 4) methods of achieving desired outcomes, 5) their interest in the project, and 6)
what sets them apart from other consultants.
The ranking from the interviews is shown in the table below:
Consultants Evaluation Rank Proposed Cost
Denovo Construction
Solutions, West Des Moines,
IA
1 $95,000
Integrity Construction,
Ames, IA 2 $126,000
Following the interviews, the team determined the proposal from Denovo is acceptable. With
Denovo demonstrating its regional and local experience as a Construction Advisor along with
net-zero-ready experience and a proactive approach will provide the value to the project
oversight, the evaluation team believes Denovo will provide the necessary services to assist
the City in the construction of the Ames Fire Station #2 facility.
Denovo's fee proposal is $95,000. This cost has been broken out separately from the Project
Management Line in the budget table provided below, which previously contained
$400,000. The project budget is outlined in the table below:
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Funding Source Project Expenses
G.O. Bond Proceeds $10,456,128 ISU Lease for Land
on State Ave $0
General Fund $104,219 Conceptual Design &
Site Plan $78,800
Amendment No. 1
Detailed
Design/Construction
Documents
$806,300
Construction
(including Net Zero
Ready upgrades and
contingency)
$9,169,074
Furniture, Fixtures
and Equipment $88,554
3rd Party
Testing/Geotechnical $98,000
Utilities Connections
and Station Alerting
System
$153,000
Construction
Advisor (This
Council Action)
$95,000
Total Revenues $10,560,347 Total $10,488,728
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Award an agreement contract to Denovo Construction Solutions of West Des Moines, IA
in the amount of $95,000 for Construction Advisor services for the Ames Fire Station No.
2 project.
2. Award a contract to one of the other firms.
3. Do not award a contract for Construction Advisor services, and provide further direction
to staff.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The Construction Advisor will serve to support City staff during the design, bidding,
and construction phases of the project. The Construction Advisor will assist the City in
schedule, coordination, and oversight on the project. Therefore, it is the recommendation
of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as described above.
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