Grice-Adair Center for Educational Excellence

Portland Public Schools, School District No. 1J (Multnomah County, Oregon) is requesting proposals for Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) services for the Grice-Adair Center for Educational Excellence modernization project under RFP 2026-038, with proposals due October 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time and interviews scheduled November 4–6, 2026.

The District has established aspirational goals of 18% Certified Business participation and workforce composition targets of 20% apprenticeship hours with 25% minority and 14% female hours. A mandatory Workforce Training and Hiring Program (Attachment F) requires contractors to submit a detailed Workforce Plan, register with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries as Training Agents, and maintain minimum 20% apprenticeship hours in apprenticeable trades. Weekly certified payroll reporting, Worker Request Forms, and good-faith diversity hiring documentation are mandatory; non-compliance carries liquidated damages of $250 per day per missed apprenticeship hour or hiring process failure. All compliance costs must be embedded in bid pricing with no change orders permitted. The contractor must also comply with the Respectful Workplace Policy (Attachment I) and implement a five-day Value Engineering Workshop.

The scope spans preconstruction services (design support, cost estimating, constructability review, BIM services), site investigation, selective demolition, tenant improvements, utility upgrades, and site work across two structures totaling approximately 50,000 gross square feet in North Portland's Albina neighborhood. The project includes makerspaces, career and technical education labs, sensory/movement rooms, and community-accessible programming areas across five levels of the West Building and four levels of the East Building. The contract runs January 2027 through July 2029, with construction commencing January 2028 and substantial completion June 2029. The project is funded by a voter-approved $1.83 billion bond package.

Pricing is formula-based: ($300 million × Fee %) + (Preconstruction NTE Amount) = Total. Proposers must provide not-to-exceed preconstruction costs with hourly rates, a CM/GC fee as a percentage of estimated cost of work, and labor employment burden rates with itemized components. Liquidated damages are $10,000 per calendar day for failure to achieve Substantial Completion and $7,700 per day for Final Completion. A District Specific Insurance Program (DSIP) covers commercial general liability, excess liability, and contractors pollution liability; on-site DSIP costs are excluded from bid prices. Performance and payment bonds are required.

Proposers must be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board and comply with Oregon Public Contracting Rules, prevailing wage requirements (ORS 279C.800–870), and public works bond filings. Resident-bidder status must be certified under ORS 279A.120; non-resident bidders may receive a percentage increase equivalent to any preference given to residents in their home state. Three references are required; if the proposer has contracted with the District within the past five years, the most recent District project must be included. Contracts valued $1 million or higher require Career Learning opportunities; this project requires at least four annual opportunities with monthly virtual check-ins and coordination with district Career Coordinators.

An optional pre-proposal conference is scheduled October 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Written questions are due October 7, 2026, with final addenda by October 14, 2026. Public proposal opening occurs via teleconference at 2:05 PM on October 20. The Notice of Intent to Award is expected November 12, 2026. The District intends to award a single contract.