REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 7, 2025
FROM
DON DAY, Director, Project and Facilities Management Department
SUBJECT
Title
Change Order to Construction Contract with Swinerton Builders, Inc. for the Valley Communication Center Project
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Change Order No. 2 to Contract No. 23-527 with Swinerton Builders, Inc., increasing the contract amount by $636,555.30, from $98,128,115.00 to $98,764,670.30, with no change to the term of 852 days, for additional work that includes additional doors and increase in security measures, revised floor layout, and additional innovative and technology equipment on the Valley Communication Center Project in San Bernardino (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Don Day, Director, 387-5000)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in additional costs to the project budget. This change order remains within the approved project budget of $124,981,367 for the Valley Communication Center Project (WBSE 10.10.0181), which was approved on June 10, 2025 (Item No. 136), by the Board of Supervisors (Board) as part of the 2025-26 Capital Improvement Program budget.
The Project is comprised of the following components:
|
Description |
Amount |
|
Construction |
$93,937,537.00 |
|
Construction and Indirect Contingencies |
$7,730,478.70 |
|
Electronic Systems and Special Equipment |
$10,350,000.00 |
|
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment |
$5,768,250.00 |
|
Department Moving Expenses and Utility Connections |
$425,000.00 |
|
Special Inspections, Environmental and Soil Testing |
$665,050.00 |
|
Project Management and Inspection Fees |
$1,287,000.00 |
|
Bridging Documents and Construction Management Services |
$4,094,500.00 |
|
Change Order No. 1 |
$86,996.00 |
|
Change Order No. 2 |
$636,555.30 |
|
Total Project Budget |
$124,981,367 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
San Bernardino County (County) is constructing a new facility known as the Valley Communication Center, located at 153 South Lena Road in San Bernardino. The Project is a new three-story, 75,085 gross square foot building, 200-foot-tall communication tower on a 6.85-acre site that will include all associated onsite and offsite improvements. The completed Project will be a new mission-critical facility that must be operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, under extreme conditions, as the primary Emergency Operations Center and a potential health agency in the San Bernardino Valley.
The building will be occupied by the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Office of Emergency Services, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD), Consolidated Fire Agencies (CONFIRE), Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency, Innovation and Technology Department, and the Project and Facilities Management Department (PFMD). The facility will be capable of self-support and self-sufficiency over an extended duration of time and act as a stand-alone facility in the event of a disaster. The desired operational model requires significant facility enhancements, including utility, base isolation, and technological system redundancies, to facilitate continuous operations.
Approval of this item will allow the County to accommodate the revised layout of the level one area with installation of additional doors and card readers, deletion of a connection to the Sheriff dispatch floor on level three, and the revised floor layouts of the CONFIRE administrative offices on level three. Also, the additional scope of work related to innovation and technology, which includes the installation of additional situational awareness monitors, power, data connections, and card readers; extends the warranty for the Daikin chillers from the standard one-year to five-years; revises the building fire alarm system; and includes office design efforts which included modifying the floor plans such as floor finishes, furniture, interior elevations, and wall protection. considered for the Office of Emergency Services.
On June 13, 2023 (Item No. 57), as the result of Request for Proposals No. ANE221-ANE2C-4778, the Board awarded a design build agreement to Swinerton Builders, Inc., in the amount of $98,041,119 for the Project.
On April 8, 2025, the Director of PFMD executed Change Order No. 1 to the Construction Contract, increasing the total contract by $86,996, from $98,041,119 to $98,128,115. Change Order No. 1 added space heater boilers into the build, which will provide additional reliability requirements, procured time-lapse photography of the construction, and completed the sewer main line protection standards on Lena Road, as required by the City of San Bernardino.
The unanticipated additional cost in the change order is related to activities that took place after the competitive bid process that resulted in the original contract award to Swinerton Builders, Inc. Therefore, no additional procurement activities are required.
Public Contract Code section 20136 requires that all change orders to construction contracts must be approved by a two-thirds votes’ approval of the Board.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel 387-5455) on August 8, 2025; Project and Facilities Management (Rob Gilliam, Chief of Project Management, 387-5000) on August 18, 2025; American Rescue Plan Act (Joon Cho, Chief Administrative Analyst, 387-5402) on September 12, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Yael Verduzco, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-5285) on September 18, 2025.