WPS School Building Project

MSBA Votes to Accept Compass Project Management

For Bird Middle School Project

The Town of Walpole is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted Monday afternoon to appoint Compass Project Management, Inc. to be the Owner’s Project Management (OPM) firm for the Bird Middle School project. The MSBA voted this past fall to invite the Town of Walpole to conduct a Feasibility Study for the Bird Middle School. Appointing an OPM is the critical first step of this process and the MSBA’s Module 2, “Forming the Project Team.” Although the invitation to conduct a Feasibility Study is specific to the Bird Middle School, it includes the study of a potential consolidation for the total student enrollment town-wide for grades 6-8.

The appointment of Compass on Monday follows an extensive qualifications-based selection process that the School Building Committee completed in December to select an OPM. The OPM serves as the focal point of management and communication on public building construction projects and works closely with the Town to oversee all parties working on a project.

The Town received eight responses to the RFS for Owners Project Management services in December, which were narrowed down to a short-list of three firms to attend an interview with the OPM Selection Committee. The OPM Selection Committee investigated each firm’s experience and approach, specifically in the following subject areas: cost control, cost reimbursement, schedule management, leadership style, communications style, strategies for community engagement, key personnel, motivation, and understanding of the project. After interviews with the top three firms, Compass Project Management, Inc. earned the highest score for their response to the RFS, the interview, and reference checks, and the School Building Committee voted unanimously in January to recommend Compass to the MSBA as Walpole’s proposed Owner’s Project Manager.

In addition to coming on board for the Bird Middle School project, Compass Project Management, Inc. served as Walpole’s Owner’s Project Manager for the Police Station, Fire Station, and Council on Aging building projects, and was instrumental in ensuring that all three projects were completed on-time and under-budget.

With the OPM Selection Process Complete and Compass Project Management on board, the next phase of Module 2 will be to begin the designer selection process, before undertaking the Feasibility Study later this year.