Services Provided by The Connextion Group

The Connextion Group will prepare a report certifying to the District that in our professional opinion, the costs included as part of the report are eligible for District financing, reasonable, and comparable to similar developments. To provide this report, we anticipate the following actions will be required:

• Project Meetings: As part of the Cost Certification process, The Connextion Group anticipates the need to hold a kick-off call to discuss our process with the Client. In addition to the kick-off call, it is anticipated that two follow up meetings will be necessary to complete the report.

• Reference Document Review: The Connextion Group will review the Development Agreement, Service Plan, Construction Drawings, and Plat to determine which improvements are public in nature and eligible for District financing. The Connextion Group can review any other applicable documents impacting eligibility or cost sharing that the District or Developer may be party to. 

• Invoice Review: The Connextion Group will review the invoices and other material presented to substantiate the District Eligible Costs. 

• Quantity and Unit Cost Comparison: The Connextion Group will perform select construction drawing take-offs to verify that the invoiced quantities generally match what is shown on the drawings. Select unit costs will be compared to similar developments to confirm overall reasonableness. Alternatively, the Connextion Group may compare overall Project costs to similar sized developments located in reasonable proximity to determine overall reasonableness. 

• Site Observation: The Connextion Group may determine that it is necessary to visit the site to verify the status of construction and review the condition of the improvements being certified. While The Connextion Group will rely on information provided from the county, city, or design engineer for compliance with specifications, we reserve the right to review the condition of improvements prior to certifying the costs related to those improvements.

• Report Delivery: The Connextion Group will draft a report detailing our process, the materials reviewed, assumptions made, and our resulting findings regarding the total District Eligible Costs.

The Connextion Group will prepare a report with our recommendation regarding the conveyance of infrastructure to the District for ownership and maintenance. The Infrastructure Conveyance Report will be signed by a licensed engineer in the State of Colorado. To provide this report, we anticipate the following actions will be required:

• Project Meetings: As part of the Infrastructure Conveyance Report, The Connextion Group anticipates the need to hold a kick-off call to discuss our process with the Client. In addition to the kick-off call, it is anticipated that two follow up meetings will be necessary to complete the report. These meetings may be combined with the Cost Verification meetings. 

• Documentation Review: The Connextion Group will review the developer’s application for acceptance and all other supporting documentation. We will document if there are any missing documents, incomplete documents, or non-applicable requirements included as part of the acquisition and reimbursement agreement. We can include recommendations on any additional information the District may require from the developer. 

• Site Visit: The Connextion Group will perform a site visit and visually observe any surface improvements proposed for conveyance.  The Connextion Group can review video footage of underground utilities to confirm there is no apparent damage. Any suggested corrective actions to be completed prior to conveyance will be provided to the District and/or Developer. A second site visit can be completed to confirm completion of the corrective actions. If The Connextion Group was not present during the construction of the infrastructure, we shall be entitled to rely upon the representation of the appropriate design professional or jurisdictional acceptance letters to make determine if the infrastructure is fit for its intended purpose and was constructed in substantial conformance with the design and construction standards.

• Report Delivery: The Connextion Group will draft a report detailing the documentation reviewed, assumptions made, and our resulting findings regarding the conveyance of infrastructure to the District.

The Connextion Group will provide construction administration services to the District. We can provide a variety of scopes based on the District specific needs, wants, and budget. Construction administration provided by the Connextion Group can include but is not limited the following:

• Contractor Communications & Coordination: The Connextion Group will serve as the liaison between the District and contractor regarding construction contract matters (advising the District on findings, conclusions, and recommendations). All coordination will be done in a timely and professional manner. We will work to ensure that all contractual requirements of the District or Engineer are met and notify the District of possible issues. This can include but is not limited to submittal approval coordination, shop-drawings approval coordination, construction update reports, coordination of multiple on-site contractors, subcontractor/supplier approval coordination, render decisions regarding the requirements of the contract documents, or judge the acceptability of the work. In rendering such decisions and judgments, we will not show partiality to District or Contractor, and will not be liable to District, Contractor, or others in connection with any proceedings, interpretations, decisions, or judgments conducted or rendered in good faith.

• Pay Application Creation & Review: The Connextion Group will generate a pay application template to be included in the contract for the purpose of contractor progress payment. After receipt of each progress payment application from the contractor, either indicate in writing a recommendation of payment and present the Application to District or return the Application to the contractor indicating our reasons for refusing to recommend payment. We may recommend reductions in payment necessary in our opinion to protect the District from loss. The Connextion Group will perform Site visits at intervals appropriate to the various stages of construction as we deem necessary in order to observe, as an experienced and qualified design professional, the progress has progressed to the point indicated by the contractor.

• Change Order Review & Recommendation: The Connextion Group will review contractor change order request to confirm the request is reasonable and meets the requirements of the contract. Changes to the contract generally involve (1) the performance or acceptability of the work, (2) the design (as set forth in the drawings, specifications, or otherwise), or (3) other engineering or technical matters. We can verify that sufficient back-up documentation was provided, quantity changes are accurate, unit costs are appropriate, and time changes are reasonable. After review, The Connextion Group will make a recommendation to the District regarding approval of the proposed change order.  Additionally, The Connextion Group can propose any credit or time change orders not submitted by the contractor resulting from changes in design or work to be complete. 

• Corrective Actions Punch List:For work to be owned or maintained by the District, The Connextion Group will perform a site observation of the work to determine the status of completion and issue a punch list including all particulars in which this observation revealed that the work, or agreed portion thereof, is incomplete or defective. After correction of the items by the contract, we can perform additional site visits to verify completion of the work or that defective work was repaired. Once completion of the punch list items is determined, we will issue a letter to the District indicating such.

• Final Payment Recommendation: The Connextion Group will  review the final Application for Payment and accompanying documentation, and all maintenance and operating instructions, schedules, guarantees, bonds, certificates of inspection, tests and approvals, and other documentation required to be delivered by Contractor under the contract, to determine generally that their content complies with the requirements of, and in the case of certificates of inspections, tests, and approvals, that the results certified indicate compliance with the Contract Documents. The Connextion Group can make public postings on behalf of the District confirming there are no outstanding liens or claims against the infrastructure proposed for final payment. Once we have determined that final payment is appropriate, we will notify the District.

The Connextion Group will compile the appropriate documentation to conduct a public bidding process, review/analyze the bids to determine the lowest most responsible bidder and provide support to the Districts legal counsel through the contracting process.

The Connextion Group will review the public infrastructure, determine the benefit of the specific infrastructure elements to the parties, and make a recommendation on the allocation of costs. The Connextion Group is familiar with a wide range of allocation methodologies and can provide the Districts with various alternatives if desired.

The Connextion Group will review the construction documents to determine schedule of value line items and quantities. The line items will include items typically used by contractors to bid civil infrastructure projects.  If desired, the schedule of values can be used for the purpose of soliciting contractor bids or verification contractor provided quantities are within reason. We can apply unit costs seen on similar projects for the purpose of determining an approximate civil infrastructure cost.

The Connextion Group can provide various services to help with your Special District’s Assessment Bond needs. In addition to providing a benefit study report, The Connextion Group can also assist with the following services:

• Improvement Cost Certification: The Connextion Group will review existing cost estimates of the public infrastructure and improvements to be financed by the District and confirm they exceed a set dollar amount. Our statement can be based on a review of construction contracts, quotes and preliminary engineering estimates provided by the Developer for the type and location of said proposed improvements. 

• Public Improvement List & Exhibit: The Connextion Group will review the relevant documents provided by the Developer or District representations to identify which improvements are eligible for District Financing. We will prepare a cost estimate of the proposed civil infrastructure and allocate such costs as public or private expenditures. We will provide a corresponding exhibit showing the approximate improvement locations.

The Connextion Group will utilize unmanned aircraft to create high-quality bird’s-eye view images and/or videos that focus on landscapes and surface objects. Imagery can be taken at set intervals to document construction progress.  The images and video will be provided as a downloadable link to the District.

The Connextion Group will review the development agreement (or other agreements pertaining to improvement cost shares), applicable code, construction documents, and cost documentation to prepare a report requesting reimbursement of the applicable improvements. The report can include but is not limited to our findings regarding completion, fair market value, and allocation of the costs. The Connextion Group can attend meetings with the appropriate parties or jurisdictions as part of this scope of services. Please Note that The Connextion Group cannot provide legal advice on reimbursement agreements but are able to provide our professional opinion on inclusion of improvements, improvement costs, and allocation methodology.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any needs or requests as we may be able to help. The Connextion Group has extensive experience working with special districts and the scopes listed here are not inclusive of all services offered.