4 Bids Submitted for School Administration Offices

Four bids were submitted to the Town of Framingham for Framingham public schools administration offices, under a request for proposals.

The bids were:

• Rosewood Management for 1 Grant Street property at $355,000 a year
  
• Tutor Perini for 73 Mount Wayte Ave property at $338,000
• Kenwood Organization for 63 Fountain Street property at $320,000
• Kenwood Organization for 63 & 75 Fountain Street property at $384,000

Framingham Selectman Charlie Sisitsky said Selectmen would need to vote to approve any 5-year lease of any bidder.

This was the second request for proposals (RFP) made for school administration offices this year.

Earlier this year, the Framingham Public Schools put out an RFP for office space to lease. The only bidder was the Perini Building.

Framingham Superintendent of Schools and the Framingham School Committee wanted to move school administrative offices to the Perini Building for 5 years at a cost of $328,000 a year.

Editor’s Note: The Perini property bid increased by $10,000 over the last RFP.

Selectmen rejected the Perini lease proposal in July. Framingham Selectmen voted 4-1 against the lease, with Selectman Laurie Lee the only one supporting the lease. The Framingham School Committee voted 4-0 in favor of the lease.

The last RFP sought a ” lease for a period of five years of approximately 20,000 square feet of modern, usable office space within one or more existing buildings for the School Department’s Administrative Offices for occupancy no later than 1/1/15. The specific property requirements are described in the RFP and is generally identified as one office building, or two or more office buildings located in close proximity to each other, with adequate parking and the appropriate number of offices needed to house up to 100 staff.” The deadline to submit a proposal was on Oct 31 at 1 p.m.

When Selectmen’s voted to reject the Perini lease this summer, Selectmen made a motion for two Selectmen to be part of a subcommittee with School Committee members and administration to work on a new bid for leased space.

Selectman Michael Bower and Jason Smith serve on that subcommittee. Bower, before elected to the Framingham Selectmen, served on the Framingham School Committee, including a stint as chair. Smith is the only Selectman with children in the Framingham Public Schools.

Also serving on that task force was School Committee members Don Taggart and Jim Stockless.