With fewer windows to design, the architectural firm had less work. But Edwards Group also found that the cost of replacing windows was more than originally anticipated. Ronald Edwards, president of Edwards Group, said the cost increases in the company's revised estimates reflect the market price for doing that work. While Edwards' explanation may be valid, experts say the problem with the system is that there's no way to be sure. But based on the quality and levels of staffing, the district doesn't have this capability and never did.
Some contractors say window, door and roof prices used by architects often are unrealistically high.
Barton Malow officials also noted that some of the same architects who did the revised estimates helped with the first. But later, when Mark English was hired by the district to revise the Barton Malow estimate, the firm found an additional 3,000 square feet of windows in need of repair. The firm also found the price per square foot for windows used by Barton Malow in its estimate much too low and increased it by 20 percent. The firm defends its estimate and said Barton Malow's initial report was unusable. We never saw the numbers Barton Malow used before the report came out.