Special Projects recommends award for the Construction Manager-At-Risk for the City of Plano Public Safety Campus to Swinerton Builders in an amount not to exceed $140,000,000, inclusive of the pre-construction services fee of $50,000 and all general conditions. This action initiates the pre-construction phase and positions the City to begin construction in accordance with the adopted project schedule.
The Plano Public Safety Campus is one of the most significant capital investments in the City's history. The project will consolidate essential public safety operations into a single, purpose-built campus located at the intersection of West Park Boulevard and Alma Drive. The campus will include the following facilities:
- New Police Headquarters
- 911 Communications Center
- Central Utility Plant
- Parking Garage
- Fire Station No. 14
Together, these facilities will enhance emergency response capabilities, strengthen interdepartmental coordination, improve operational resilience, and position the City to meet the service demands of a growing community. The project represents a critical and time-sensitive step in replacing aging infrastructure that no longer meets the operational needs of the Plano Police and Fire Departments.
To procure construction services for this complex, multi-facility project, the City employed the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method. CMAR is a project delivery approach in which the construction manager serves as both an advisor during pre-construction and as the general contractor during construction, assuming financial risk by committing to a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). This method is particularly well-suited to large, technically complex public safety projects where early contractor involvement adds significant value through constructability reviews, phasing analysis, and cost validation. On January 28, 2026, the City opened proposals in response to the request for qualifications. The evaluation committee, comprised of representatives from Special Projects, the Police Department, Fire-Rescue, and Facilities Management, evaluated all submitted Statements of Qualifications against defined criteria to establish the most qualified firms to proceed to Step 2 of the process. Step 2 included in-person presentations, interviews, and fees for general conditions and pre-construction.
Special Projects recommends award to Swinerton Builders as the most qualified firm. Swinerton Builders distinguished itself through the depth and relevance of its project team, its extensive portfolio of public safety and institutional construction, and its collaborative approach to pre-construction services.
Swinerton Builders brings particular expertise in the construction of police headquarters, fire stations, and structured parking, the three most technically specialized components of this campus. The firm has demonstrated strong performance on large-scale public sector projects nationally, with a track record of delivering complex capital programs on schedule and within budget. The committee determined that Swinerton's team experience, relevant project expertise, project approach, and innovative service capabilities made them the clear choice to deliver this program.
Consistent with CMAR best practices and the City's interest in early contractor engagement, the contract is structured as a two-phase award. Phase 1: Pre-Construction Phase (Phase 1) will engage Swinerton's team in collaborative planning, constructability reviews, phasing strategy, long-lead procurement planning, and final cost validation prior to establishment of the GMP. This phase is critical to ensuring the project is thoroughly planned before construction commences, reducing risk and change orders during the construction phase. Phase 2: Includes a GMP representing the not-to-exceed construction cost commitment and includes all pre-construction fees, general conditions, and construction costs. The GMP structure provides the City with cost certainty while incentivizing the contractor to identify and realize savings throughout the project.
The development of the Plano Public Safety Campus represents a generational investment in the City's capacity to deliver modern, efficient, and coordinated public safety services. The current Police Headquarters and related facilities are aging and no longer adequately serve the operational demands of a city of Plano's size and growth trajectory. Fire Station No. 14 will address a critical gap in the City's fire response coverage as the northwestern quadrant continues to develop.
By consolidating police, communications, and fire operations on a single campus, the City will realize the following strategic benefits:
- Improved emergency response times through co-located dispatch, command, and field operations.
- Enhanced interdepartmental communication and coordination during major incidents and disasters.
- Reduced long-term maintenance and operational costs through modern, energy-efficient facilities.
- Scalable infrastructure designed to accommodate future growth and technological evolution.
- Improved public access and a physical expression of the City's commitment to public safety.
Should the Council choose not to authorize this contract, the following impacts are anticipated:
- Continued operation of aging and functionally obsolete public safety facilities, increasing maintenance costs and service disruption risk.
- Delayed improvements to emergency response times and operational coordination.
- Loss of contractor availability and potential escalation of construction costs in a competitive market environment.
- Prolonged operational inefficiencies associated with dispersed public safety functions across multiple locations.
- Reduced capacity to respond effectively to large-scale emergencies requiring integrated command and communication.
- Adverse impact on the City's ability to recruit and retain public safety personnel in facilities that meet modern operational and occupational standards.