On Nov. 18, the West Jefferson Hills School District board will authorize the bidding of their $76.3 million new high school. The school district, architect and construction mgr. have created a schedule and bidding method that really makes sense. For that reason it stands out in our industry.

First, the documents are set to be available the day after the board approves the bid date. Second, the bid date will be Jan. 12, meaning the owner isn’t expecting that the industry will ignore the holidays to bid its job. But beyond the reasonable lead time, the architect and CM have set a pre-bid meeting for Dec. 8 and asked for all RFI’s by Dec. 16. That gives bidders two weeks (plus the Thanksgiving holiday) to review the documents before the pre-bid, then allows another week for RFI’s. The architect has committed to reply to all RFI’s by Dec. 29, meaning that the major addenda will be issued two weeks before bid date. That also means that answers will be waiting for contractors once they return from the holiday downtime.

This project was going to get everyone’s full attention regardless of how smoothly the bidding process went but showing respect for the industry’s time during this time of year is extraordinary and should yield dividends down the road. Let’s hope other owners follow the example.

A sidebar discussion at the Allegheny Conference’s commercial real estate luncheon Friday yielded news that Oliver Hatcher Construction had started work on the 316,000 sq. ft. spec warehouse for Ashley Capital Group at the FIP. Buncher should be starting work on an 82,000 sq. ft. warehouse at Findlay Industrial Park sometime later this winter

The park’s developer, Imperial Land Co. said that there were other users interested in lots at the park, as well as at smaller sites in Imperial Land’s new Westport Woods. The entry road for that is shown on the photo at left.

Continental Building Systems has started construction on the next flex office at Pittsburgh International Business Park, a 62,000 sq. ft. fifth building branded as Building 400. Continental was also selected to build the retail shops at the Siena at St. Clair. The 87,000 sq. ft. building will house the complementary retailers at the center anchored by Whole Foods.

One of the more deceptive characteristics of the market in summer of 2015 is the bidding activity. For general contractors, the activity is slow, maybe slower than normal; but there is action taking place in the next tiers down the food chain. Within the past 60 days there has been a marked shift in the subcontractor bidding environment, a shift that bears watching if you’re an owner.

Subs and suppliers are busier. In part this is due to the releasing of projects that had been delayed over the past year or so, or had a general on board while designs were being completed. There is also the reality that the skilled labor force is nearing full capacity. Within the majority of the trades, the halls are empty. One other consideration is that the Pittsburgh market may finally be shifting like the rest of the country to delivery methods other than design-bid-build. And subs have been bearing more of the burden of this extended slowdown, carrying an unfair share of project costs because of longer (meaning slower) pay cycles and increased administrative expense. There will be some hay-making while the sun shines.

Any or all of these factors will move the focus of the bid market from generals to subs and specialty contractors. The evidence of this is in higher prices and less participation. More than a few generals have expressed the sentiment that the latter is a reality now, especially when it comes to budgeting. Owners that haven’t brought a project to the market in six months or more may find it a very different environment. It may be too early to declare it a seller’s market but construction is no longer the buyer’s market that has existed since 2009.

For those looking ahead to big bidding opportunities, the PA Builders Exchange reported this morning on an $81 million new treatment plant for West View Water (with a general package over $40 million) that should bid in the fourth quarter. Check out the details at http://tinyurl.com/oq6qnz6. On the commercial side, Milhaus Development selected Strada Architecture and Rycon Construction as the team for its $100 million redevelopment of the 12-acre site west of the 40th Street Bridge in Lawrenceville.

There has been a surprising amount of buzz surrounding the news that Shell closed on the land that on which it proposes to build an ethane cracker. I think that’s a sign of how thirsty we are for news about the decision. From the standpoint of the decision to proceed, the closing is kind of a non-event. Shell can still decide against the project for the time being or walk away and sell the property to someone else.

The bigger news about the cracker is that the needed permits are reported to be in hand. I assume that means that there has been informal word given, since it seems unlikely that DEP would have granted approval without someone announcing it. This, if true, is a big deal because it removes virtually all obstacles to the decision. Shell still wants to prove the long-term sustainability of the gas supply (something of a no-brainer) and then agree to invest in Monaca instead of other capital projects. So far, any guesses I’ve heard about when the final call will be are just that: guesses.

The last few weeks have seen the start of a bunch of small projects that have been around for a while. Village Theater Co. chose A. Martini & Co. to build it $2 million new theater in Sewickley. That’s the third new building to get underway in Sewickley this month. Oberg Industries awarded W. K. Thomas & Associates the contract to build its 67,000 sq. ft. expansion. Chapman Properties is getting ready to start construction on a new 23,575 sq. ft. Skyzone trampoline center in Monroeville.

In news of more companies entering the Pittsburgh market, Reynolds Construction opened an office in the RIDC O’Hara. The new office is located at 634 Alpha Drive, Suite 1100, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. The Pittsburgh office will be led for now by company President Jeff Merritt.

Waukesha Pearce Industries awarded the construction of its new $8 million, 45,000 sq. ft. facility to New-Belle Construction. The high-bay building will be used to service and distribute WPI’s heavy gas engines, being used by the natural gas industry. The building was designed by Desmone Architects.

Uber selected Continental Building Systems as construction manager for the build-out of its new 53,000 sq. ft. space in Lawrenceville.

TBI Contracting is starting construction on two new buildings in Sewickley village. The first is a 10,000 sq. ft. commercial building that will house a new Crazy Mocha on the ground floor. The second is the Vanguard Village office, a 30,000 sq. ft. spec building being developed by Forbes Trail Development and PWA Real Estate.

Those commuters creeping up or down Greentree Hill will soon see the the new Greentree Primary Care Center II coming out of the ground. Burns & Scalo Real Estate is developing the 44,000 sq. ft. GPCCII as a spec building for healthcare users.