High School Project Manager Being Sought by City Officials

The City of Revere is Revere officials are proactively preparing that good news will soon come from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), and the city will receive state funds to build a new high school.

This week Revere’s Purchasing Agent Michael Piccardi published a Request For Submissions (RFS) to begin searching for a “responsive and responsible” firm to act as an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) in the event the MSBA gives the city the greenlight to build a new high school. RFS applications are due before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 and should be sent to Revere City Hall, 281 Broadway, Revere.

According to the request Revere is seeking project management services for the “design, construction, addition to and/or renovation of Revere High School”.

An OPM provides independent advice on project scope, design, value engineering, scheduling, contractual matters, and more. With allegiance to neither the designer nor the contractor, the OPM will act in the city and MSBA’s best interest to manage projects from beginning to end.

According to industry insiders a good OPM can save a lot of time and money, especially on a project as large as building a new high school.

“This is the next step in the process as we move into the Feasibility Study phase of the project,” said Revere Public School Superintendent Dianne Kelly. “This Request for Services will begin the selection of the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) who will oversee the New Revere High School project from thinking about where it will be situated to the application of final touches on the building. We are really excited to be partnering with the MSBA in this OPM selection process.”

Kelly said choosing an OPM will be an involved process that will include reviews prior to application submission, an interview process, a weighted assessment of applicants, and then review by the MSBA team.

“We anticipate being part of their September Review Panel Meeting for final OPM selection,” she said. “It is a great step forward for the future of the Revere Public Schools.”

In April, the MSBA voted to authorize inviting the City of Revere to collaborate with the MSBA in conducting a Feasibility Study to build a new high school in the city.

Revere was one of five school districts chosen by the MSBA on April 15 with the others being the Town of Brookline, the City of Haverhill, the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District, and the Town of Webster.

The vote by the MSBA came on the heels of a vote by the Revere City Council to approve a $2 million appropriation to begin the Feasibility Study to build a new high school in the city back in February.

Kelly said once the OPM is chosen she expects the Feasibility Study to take about two years. In 2018 Revere Public Schools cleared a major hurdle during a MSBA board meeting when the MSBA board voted to invite Revere and ten other school districts that filed Statements of Interest (SOI) this year to take part in the eligibility process that could ultimately lead to grant money to build a new high school here.

“I am absolutely delighted that we are looking to the future,” said School Committee member Carol Tye. “In this time of adverse circumstances in almost every aspect of our society, we need to keep our promise to provide the best educational experience to our children. And that means a high school fit for the 21^st Century. I am proud that the City is committed to that vision.”