Montgomery County's Willow Grove Annex renovation goes to bid in five prime contracts, each under its 70% apprenticeship rule

Montgomery County is taking bids through November 19, 2026 to renovate its Willow Grove Annex at 102 North York Road in Upper Moreland Township, and the job is split into five prime contracts: general, mechanical and HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection. The invitation went up on the county's Bonfire portal on October 6. Each prime must file the county's responsible contractor certification, and the county's procurement policy requires that at least 70% of the craft labor hours on a project of this kind be worked by graduates of registered apprenticeship programs or by registered apprentices. Bids are due at 1:00 p.m. on November 19, and questions at 1:00 p.m. on November 6.

01The county split the gut renovation into five prime contracts

The county's 2026 budget lists the job for its capital projects staff as the start of the annex building's "gut rehabilitation." The commissioners' June 11, 2026 agenda listed the solicitation, describing it as "full renovation construction services" paid from capital funds. In 2023, when the commissioners approved design work on the building, The Reporter quoted commissioners' chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. as saying it provides services such as the county's community connections departments.

The portal lists a bid form and a base bid table for each prime. The general contractor also prices alternates and unit prices. The drawing sets posted with the invitation are labeled architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and PFP, and they come with a specification book, a hazardous building material evaluation, a site logistics plan, a bid schedule and a prevailing wage rate sheet dated October 5, 2026.

• Architectural
• Civil
• Structural
• Mechanical
• Electrical
• PFP

Anyone can read the listing, but downloading the documents and bidding takes a free Bonfire account, as the county's procurement page explains.

02Bids are due at 1:00 p.m. on November 19, after two mandatory pre-bid meetings

The county held a mandatory pre-bid meeting at the annex on October 13. On October 15 it posted a notice that it had extended the question and bid due dates. On October 22 it added a second mandatory pre-bid meeting, held October 27, for firms that missed the first, and posted an updated bid schedule.

By October 29 the portal showed 95 public questions from prospective bidders, with one marked answered and the rest in review. They include questions on which prime removes the electrical service and in-building transformers, and on whether to price unsampled tile grout and leveling compound as asbestos-containing.

03The county's rules reach every contractor and subcontractor on projects of $250,000 or more

The county's procurement policy, as amended June 11, 2026, applies its responsible contractor requirements to county construction, demolition, alteration, renovation and maintenance projects valued at $250,000 or more, and to every contractor and subcontractor of any tier on them. The bid lists the county's responsible contracting packet, dated June 15, 2026, and a signed responsible contractor certification for each prime contract.

The certification commits the firm to take part in a registered apprenticeship program for each trade it employs. The program has to be registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency and must have graduated apprentices to journeyperson status in at least three of the past five years. At least 70% of craft labor hours must be worked by those graduates or by registered apprentices, in the ratio the table shows. The firm also commits to a good-faith effort to fill at least 40% of craft labor hours with Montgomery County residents, and to report each nonsupervisory worker's ZIP code and apprenticeship status on its payroll reports.

04Subcontractor certifications are due 2 days after the notice to proceed

Award takes several steps after bids open. The county first issues a notice of intent to award, then reviews the firm's certification and its subcontractors' before it issues a written responsibility determination.

1. 1Bids dueNovember 19, 1:00 p.m.
2. 2Notice of intent to awardPosted on Bonfire
3. 3Responsibility determinationWritten, after the county reviews the certifications
4. 4Notice to proceedSubcontractor list and certifications due within 2 days

The awardee has two days from the notice to proceed to submit its subcontractor list with a certification from each subcontractor, and the policy bars any subcontractor that is not on the list. The county posts the certifications, the subcontractor lists and its determination on its website for the length of the contract.

Whitemarsh Township is weighing similar rules for its own public work. See Whitemarsh's draft contractor ordinance.

05The design contract stands at $1,078,400.36 after two amendments in 2026

The commissioners' April 9 and June 11, 2026 agendas each carry an amendment to the county's architectural and engineering contract with NORR Design for the annex. The April amendment added $45,125.36, bringing it from $987,675 to $1,032,800.36, and the agenda gives the reason as drawing and design changes for the building code update. The county's agenda says Pennsylvania adopted the 2021 International Code Council codes as of January 1, 2026, with their use required as of July 1, 2026. The June amendment added $45,600 for scope changes, bringing the contract to $1,078,400.36.

The Reporter put the original 2023 agreement at $721,215, which makes the current amount 49.5% higher. How the contract grew between 2023 and an October 23, 2025 resolution could not be verified.

The April agenda also extends the county's owner-controlled insurance program, or OCIP, to the "Willow Grove Building Improvements," Phase 3 of the Montgomery County Justice Center and the Montco-Norristown Public Library. The bid listing includes an OCIP 2 document.