The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority will look to hire a firm to monitor the concrete work that Mortenson Construction will perform on the new Vikings stadium project.
Finance and Commerce reports that the MSFA approved the issuance of a request for proposals for a firm to provide “monitoring services” for the validation of quantities and costs for Mortenson Construction’s performance” of the concrete work.
Mortenson is the construction manager for the project, but the report says it is also planning to self-perform about $110 million worth of concrete work for the project. The authority gave approval to Mortenson in August to self-perform the concrete package, saying it would save time and money on the project.
The move has not been sitting well with some subcontractors.
According to the report Mike Schmaltz, executive director of the Minnesota Subcontractors Association, asserts that subcontractors who do concrete work day in and day out tend to be more productive than self-performing general contractors.
MSFA Executive Director Ted Mondale said the monitoring services are needed so they can verify the work that Mortenson is doing.
The move comes as the authority is keeping its eyes on the budget.
The Associated Press reports that a critical element of the budget is due next week, when Mortenson is supposed to deliver a “guaranteed maximum price” for labor, materials, and other tangible parts of the building. There are questions about whether developers can fit the amenities the authority and the Vikings want in the stadium, including auxiliary locker rooms, a second advertising ribbon board, and top-of-the-line scoreboards.
