ICAM Recording | Meeting Packet (including eval rubric & OPM interview questions)
Citizens Queries
No residents offered queries.
Confirm October Meeting Dates
OPM interviews will be held Monday, October 26 and Tuesday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m., and the finalist decision will be made Thursday, October 29 at 6:00 p.m. The interview nights start 30 minutes earlier than usual to fit up to five firms, and members were asked to tell the chair about any conflicts with that time.
Update – Review of OPM Submissions
Tom Markham reported that nine firms submitted Owner's Project Manager (OPM) proposals by the September 30 deadline. All nine passed the administrative check for minimum requirements, which was completed October 2, so all nine have gone to the subcommittee.
Update – Evaluation Review Subcommittee
Subcommittee members are individually scoring the nine proposals against a 12-point rubric and have not yet deliberated as a group. They will meet in person Tuesday, October 13 at 2:30 p.m. (room to be determined) to narrow the field to three to five semifinalists, whom Markham will then contact to schedule interviews, copying the town manager.
Review and Approve OPM Interview Questions/Rubric
The committee reviewed the eight interview questions and three-level scoring rubric but took no formal vote. The only edit was correcting "towns" to "town" in Question 3. Members agreed informally that follow-up questions would be discouraged so every firm gets equal time, and the main debate was over whether Question 7 should explicitly mention the town's 2018 elementary school proposal; members kept the broader wording to avoid leading the firms.
Discuss Third Party Diligence Review Service
Markham proposed hiring a due diligence firm to run background checks on the OPM semifinalists and their key principals. The checks would cover litigation, regulatory and tax compliance, bankruptcies, liens, and licensure. Christopher Carroll asked whether the town could be liable if a report contained inaccurate information; Markham pointed to a clause requiring the diligence firm to indemnify the town and school department, and town counsel has been asked whether the reports would be public records.
Vote Diligence Review Service Budget
The committee approved unanimously authorizing Markham to issue a request for quotes and contract with a due diligence firm, with a budget not to exceed $10,000. The expected cost is about $1,000 per report. Funding would come from the $2 million approved under Article 9 at last year's town meeting.
Adjourn
The meeting adjourned unanimously at about 7:14 p.m., according to the chair.
Key Decisions
- Due diligence review service: Passed unanimously by voice vote. The motion was made by Stephen Fortado and seconded by Christopher Carroll.
- OPM interview questions and rubric: The committee reviewed all eight questions, made one wording edit to Question 3, and agreed by consensus that:
- follow-up questions will be discouraged;
- answers should run about 3 minutes;
- each question will be assigned to one committee member, who will ask it of every firm;
- firms will receive printed copies of the questions, but not the rubric, on interview night.
- October meeting dates: Confirmed by the chair, with no vote.
- October 26 and 27 at 5:30 p.m. for interviews
- October 29 at 6:00 p.m. for the finalist decision
Action Items
- Find and reserve a room for the October 13 subcommittee meeting and notify members — Tom Markham, with Brendan Sweeney offering the town manager conference room or Meeting Room C — Morning of October 9
- Send the request for quotes to due diligence firms in Massachusetts and New England — Tom Markham — October 9; quotes due October 15
- Execute a contract with the selected due diligence firm and provide it with the semifinalist list — Tom Markham — About October 16; reports due about October 22
- Narrow the nine OPM proposals to three to five semifinalists — Evaluation Review Subcommittee — Meeting October 13; final list by end of the week of October 12
- Contact semifinalists to schedule interviews (copying the town manager) and set the length of each interview — Tom Markham / Evaluation Review Subcommittee — Before October 26
- Email the chair to request a specific interview question to ask — Committee members — —
- Tell the chair about any conflict with the 5:30 p.m. start on October 26 and 27 — Committee members — —
- Prepare printed copies of the interview questions for firms and display them on screen if the equipment is available — — (Brendan Sweeney noted the computer may not be available) — October 26
- Get a legal opinion on whether due diligence reports are public records — Tom Markham and Brendan Sweeney (question already sent to counsel) — —
- Work with the legislative delegation to re-secure $100,000 from Senator Tarr that was returned because it went unspent — Michael Dougherty and Brendan Sweeney — —
Related Upcoming Meetings
- Tuesday, October 13, 2:30 p.m.: Evaluation Review Subcommittee meets to begin narrowing OPM proposals, possibly continuing at a second meeting. The room is to be determined.
- Monday, October 26, 5:30 p.m.: Full committee, OPM semifinalist interviews (night 1 of 2). Firm presentations are expected to begin between 5:45 and 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 27, 5:30 p.m.: Full committee, OPM semifinalist interviews (night 2 of 2).
- Thursday, October 29, 6:00 p.m.: Full committee vote to select the OPM finalist.
- November: Negotiation Subcommittee negotiates the OPM contract for submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).
- Thursday, November 12, 6:00 p.m.: Regular committee meeting at Town Hall, Meeting Room A. Approval of past minutes is expected.
