Photo courtesy Willis A. Smith Construction Co.

Willis A. Smith built the school $6 million below budget.

The 198,000-sq-ft Sarasota County Technical Institute represents the second of three phases of development. Partnered with the Suncoast Polytechnical High School, the new facility provides polytechnical and technical education on one campus for 11th- and 12th-grade students.

After first being bid in September 2008, construction was put on hold due to funding issues. Six months later, Willis A. Smith Construction recommended re-bidding and value engineering. As a result, the project was built for $32 million, or $6 million below the original budget.

Key Players

Owner: The School Board of Sarasota County, Sarasota, Fla.

Contractor: Willis A. Smith Construction, Sarasota

Architect: Schenkel Schultz, Sarasota, Fla.

Civil Engineer: Jensen and Group Engineering Consultants, Bradenton, Fla.

Structural Engineer: BBM Structural Engineers, Longwood, Fla.

MEP Engineer: TLC Engineering for Architecture, Fort Myers, Fla.

Submitted by:

Willis A. Smith Construction