GMSD picked Flintco to help design and then build Houston High's cafeteria and fine arts additions. Design takes six to eight months, construction about a year.

Germantown Municipal School District has picked Flintco to manage the additions and renovations to Houston High School’s cafeteria and fine arts spaces. The contractor joins the design team now, months before any building starts.

The district announced the choice in a GMSD news post on the construction manager. Flintco was chosen from five finalists. It will work with 4F Architects.

It is the first time the district has used this method, called Construction Manager at Risk.

The timeline

The district gave these estimates:

  • design work: about six to eight months
  • construction: about 12 months, on a working high school campus

It has not given a start date for construction.

How it works

In a normal bid, contractors price a job after the design is finished. Here, Flintco reviews the plans as they are drawn. It will check what can be built, estimate costs and draft the schedule.

“All perspectives, those of GMSD, the architects and the contractor, are integrated into the plans from the beginning,” said Zac Percoski, assistant superintendent of operations.

Once the design advances, Flintco will set a guaranteed maximum price. The district said the Board of Education will vote on the contract and that price. Flintco then hires the subcontractors and runs the work.

“The guaranteed maximum price will ensure the district does not exceed that amount,” Deputy Superintendent Josh Cathey said. “Any savings below that amount will be returned to the district.”

The district said Flintco has proposed returning 100% of any savings below the maximum. Overruns fall on the contractor, subject to the contract and approved changes.

Percoski said having the contractor on board early should cut disruption once work begins. “I see this process leading to savings of capital and time,” he said.

Who is paying

The City of Germantown is paying for the project. It sold $24.8 million in bonds on Oct. 7, and $10 million of that is for a new fine arts wing and a cafeteria expansion at Houston High. Our story on the city’s bond sale has the full breakdown. The city repays that share from its operating budget.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes at Houston High yet. Design runs into 2027, and the building work comes after.
  • The price comes to a public school board vote before construction starts. Board dates and recordings are on our Germantown schools guide.
  • More on the school, its zone and its calendar is on our Houston High School page.