Policies & Procedures

Assigning Projects:

The Town’s Public Buildings Director will be responsible for identifying all projects that are required to come before the Permanent Municipal Building Committee (PMBC) for review and for determining the level of oversight to be performed by the PMBC. The Public Buildings Director will inform the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee that a project must be assigned to the PMBC and will arrange for the project sponsor to meet with the PMBC for presentation of the project.

For projects not required for review, but assigned by the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, the Public Buildings Director will schedule the project for review by the PMBC and will coordinate with the project sponsor. 

The Public Buildings Director will inform sponsors of all Town construction projects of the option and process of having non-required projects reviewed by the PMBC and will arrange for the project sponsor to meet with the PMBC for presentation of their projects, if requested.

Project Review:

The following projects are required to come before the PMBC for review prior to any contracts being advertised or any related procurement of goods or services by the Town. Working with the Public Buildings Director, a determination will be made as to the level of oversight the PMBC will perform on each project. The project sponsor and the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee will be notified in writing as to the level of oversight. Required projects include:

  • All vertical construction projects requiring an Owner’s Project Manager by DCAM (currently all projects with an estimated cost of $1.5M or more)
  • All projects requesting funding from the MSBA regardless of project costs
  • Any project that the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee assigns to the PMBC. The Board of Selectmen or School Committee will assign the project to the PMBC in writing and describe their reasons for the assignment

The following projects are not required to come before the PMBC for review, but project sponsors may request PMBC review and involvement with permission of the Board of Selectmen. Working with the Public Buildings Director, a determination will be made as to the level of oversight the PMBC will perform on each project. The project sponsor and the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee will be notified in writing as to the level of oversight.   It is recommend that sponsors request review and involvement by the PMBC prior to any contracts being advertised or procured by the Town, but this is not required.  Voluntary involvement projects include:

  • Horizontal construction projects (such as athletic fields, roadway or infrastructure projects, solar projects, etc.)
  • Vertical construction projects not subject to the mandatory criteria or assigned to the PMBC by the Board of Selectmen or School Committee

PMBC Product:

The PMBC will advise and make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee, and to the project sponsor and the Public Buildings Director regarding the following phases and/or elements of a project:

  • Feasibility Studies
  • Condition of existing building(s) related to the proposed project
  • Programming
  • Scope
  • Plan for maintaining Town services during construction
  • Award and execution of Contracts (to either Board of Selectmen or School Committee)
  • Approval of payment of consultant and contractor invoices (to either Board of Selectmen or School Committee)

The PMBC will have decision-making authority over the following phases and/or elements of projects under its oversight, but may delegate some of this authority to project sponsors or the Public Buildings Director on a project-by-project basis:

  • Bidding and procurement process
  • Selection of all project consultants and contractors, e.g. programmer, architect, OPM, CMs, GC, etc. 
  • Supervision and direction of all project consultants and contractors, e.g. programmers, architects, OPMs, CMs, GCs, etc., unless the Public Buildings serves as the projects OPM
  • Management of the approved project budget
  • Management of the project schedule
  • Design of the project consistent with the approved program and budget
  • Design Review and value engineering
  • De facto approval of expenditures and invoices consistent with the approved project budget
  • Provide input to changes in scope and budget consistent with the approved project program and budget
  • Exercise such other powers as are necessary with respect to the project to ensure the project meets the approved program, budget and schedule requirements
  • With the Public Buildings Director may establish general criteria for projects and may establish general design review criteria for projects

Project Reporting:

The PMBC will communicate and interact with the project sponsors (board, committee and/or department) through the two members assigned to the PMBC for that project. Further, these two project specific members, along with the Public Buildings Director will have the responsibility to provide project reporting to the Board of Selectmen and/or School Committee, to the project sponsor’s department, board or committee, and, if needed, to Town Meeting and other public forums. The permanent members of the PMBC will provide technical support for project reporting.

The two project specific members, along with the Public Buildings Director will have the responsibility of representing the project to approving town boards with the technical support of the permanent members of the PMBC.

The PMBC will report annually to the Town.

Staff Support:

The Public Buildings Director and/or staff of the Public Buildings Department will provide all needed administrative support, including, but not limited to scheduling meetings and preparing agendas and meeting minutes.

Project Advocacy:

The PMBC does not advise on the need for a Town construction project nor the amount of funding the Town should allocate to a project other than to provide technical information needed to make those decisions. The PMBC will not advocate for or against a project, and will not be involved in the public approval process for project funding, other than to provide technical information, related to project scope, budget, schedule, and/or the condition of current buildings and other relevant technical questions.

Also, the PMBC will not advise or make recommendations regarding the following phases and/or elements of a project or the Town’s capital maintenance plan:

  • Need for the project by the Town
  • Impact of the project on the Town
  • Level of funding allocated or approved by the Town, unless the funding is substantially underfunded or overfunded based upon the project’s design, or unless the funding results from a PMBC recommended change order
  • Operating analysis or changes to operating budgets or Town staffing
  • Financial analysis of project on the Town’s finances
  • Procurement of funding