Construction Manager at Risk for Boulder Campuses and Public Owners

Public owners rarely get to choose the lowest price and the best team at once, and construction manager at risk is the delivery method that tries to give them both. The owner hires the construction manager during design for advice on cost, schedule and constructability, then asks for a guaranteed maximum price when the drawings are far enough along to price. From that point the manager carries the risk of building the project for that number.

It is a common method for school districts, universities, towns and special districts, and for private owners who want a design they control and a builder they can talk to before the plans are done. We act as the construction manager from the first design meeting, bid the trade packages openly, and report every number to the owner in a form their board or auditor can follow.

Owners who use it here

The largest public employers in Boulder include the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Valley School District and Boulder Community Health, according to the city's 2022 financial report, and they, along with towns, fire districts and water districts, are the clients who most often use this method. Education owners value it for phased summer construction windows; government and public sector owners value the transparency of the bid process.

Private owners in healthcare, hospitality and housing also use it when the program is large and uncertain at the start. The method lets them hold the architect's work while testing the budget with real trade pricing. We tailor the contract and the reporting to the owner's governance, whether that is a board, a council or a lender.

Campus and town conditions

The University of Colorado Boulder's main campus covers 786 acres, with East Campus about a quarter mile away and Williams Village about 1.5 miles from the main campus. Its older buildings follow a Tuscan Vernacular Revival style using Front Range sandstone and red-orange tile roofs, a style applied on fifteen buildings from 1921 to 1939, so additions and renovations are expected to respect that language. A 323,000 square foot building opened in September 2010 at a cost of $84.4 million with a 140,000 square foot underground parking structure, and work of that kind shows how much of a campus project lies below grade. The campus area is a place where construction must coexist with classes and events.

Smaller towns have different conditions. Lyons saw floods in September 2013 block every access route and damage its water and wastewater systems, and a repair and enhancement plan followed. The public works that follow a disaster like that are an example of why a town values a manager who has priced utilities, access and phasing before a bid goes out. Our approach in phased construction on occupied sites applies to both.

The construction manager's role in design

During design we provide estimates at each milestone, constructability reviews, phasing plans, and logistics studies. We help the owner and architect decide what to bid early, such as site work or long-lead equipment. We prepare bid packages in the scopes that the market understands, and we run pre-bid meetings with trade contractors.

Trade packages are bid publicly or among prequalified firms, and the owner can attend bid openings and review results. We recommend awards with a written analysis, including any firm whose price is out of line with the others. If an owner prefers to select a trade partner for reasons other than price, such as past performance or local capacity, we document the reasons. The model is related to design-build delivery, where design and construction share one agreement instead.

How the guaranteed maximum price works

The guaranteed maximum price includes the cost of the work, our fee, general conditions and a contingency. Savings can be returned to the owner or shared under the contract terms, and the owner can audit the cost records. Contingency is held in a defined way, with transfer approvals documented, so that the owner sees how it is used.

The price is only as sound as the documents it rests on. If the drawings are incomplete, the guaranteed maximum price carries more allowances and exclusions. We define the pricing set, record assumptions and clarifications, and set the price when the design has reached a stage where risk is manageable. Early site packages and demolition can be bought out ahead of the main price, as described in demolition.

Public procurement and review

Public owners follow procurement laws and board policies that govern how the manager is selected, how bids are solicited and how contracts are awarded. We follow the owner's rules and provide documentation in the form the owner needs. For cities and towns, building permits and inspection typically come from the jurisdiction itself, which may also be the owner, so we ask who reviews what.

The City of Boulder, for example, adopted the 2024 International Building Codes effective August 1, 2025, and projects there also fall under the city's 2024 Energy Conservation Code. Other towns differ, and the county has its own amendments. We prepare a code summary at the start of design so the architect, the owner and our team work from the same list, and we update it if the edition changes.

Working in school and campus calendars

Education projects live and die by the summer break. A school renovation may have only a few weeks of summer to demolish, rebuild and clear final inspection before students return, and delays are very costly. We plan these windows backward from the first day of class, with material procurement ahead of the summer, trade commitments in writing, and recovery plans for late deliveries.

Campus work has event calendars, and municipal work has council meetings and public notice. Our schedules show these constraints, and we brief the owner's operations staff weekly. When a project must keep operating during construction, we protect entrances, life safety routes and utilities, and we communicate shutdowns far ahead, using municipal and government building experience as a guide to what staff need to know.

Bring the project and the board

Send us the program, the owner's procurement rules and the date you need to open. We will outline a preconstruction scope, a bid plan and a path to a guaranteed maximum price.

Questions Owners Ask

When should the construction manager be hired?

As early as possible, ideally during schematic design. Early input is where most savings occur, because it is cheaper to change a drawing than a built element. The owner can still decide at later milestones whether to continue.

Is CM at-risk more expensive than bidding to a contractor?

The fee is explicit, but total cost often compares well because of fewer change orders and better buyout. It depends on the quality of the design documents. We show the owner the cost comparisons during preconstruction.

How are subcontractors selected?

Through public bid or prequalified invitation, depending on the owner. Bids are opened with the owner present, and we provide a written recommendation. The owner can approve or request changes.

What happens if the project comes in under the guaranteed maximum price?

The contract terms decide. Savings may return to the owner entirely or be shared by a formula. We spell this out before signing.

Can CM at-risk work for a small project?

It can, but fees and administrative time become a larger share. For small projects with a complete design, a competitive bid may be better. We will tell you which approach we recommend.

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