Knoxville, Tenn. —  This week, the Industrial Development Board held a successful pre-proposal conference for any business interested in submitting a proposal for potentially building a new Carter Elementary School, according to Knox County Purchasing Director Hugh Holt, who is also co-chair of the committee that developed the Carter request for proposal.

According to Holt, approximately 100 people representing more than 50 businesses attended Tuesday’s pre-proposal conference, which included a tour of the site designated for the proposed new elementary school. 

“In my tenure as purchasing director, I’ve never seen this high of a turnout for a pre-proposal conference,” Holt said.  “This is a solid indicator that the construction community is eager to work in this economy, and they want to get involved in public projects, where maybe they haven’t been in the past.”

The purpose of the pre-proposal conference is to collect information from anyone interested in submitting a project bid, and to offer an opportunity for potential bidders to ask questions, get additional information and seek clarification on the RFP, if needed.

“It was certainly encouraging to see the level of interest in this proposal based upon the attendance at the pre-proposal conference.” RFP committee co-chair and Knox County Schools Supervisor of New Facilities Doug Dillingham said.  “We look forward to seeing the proposals that are submitted and how they address our program standards.”

“I’ve been impressed with the work of the RFP committee, especially under the business-minded leadership of co-chair Mitch Steenrod.  Also, the input from school system staff members will help ensure that, if built, the new Carter Elementary will be an example of a great Knox County School,” Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said.  “Overall, the committee represented an unprecedented mix of school officials, county purchasing staff and private sector experts.”

All proposals must be turned in by April 4 at 3 p.m.  After that, the RFP evaluation committee will select the successful proposal, which will then be considered by the IDB.  If the IDB chooses to accept the evaluation committee’s choice, it will then go to the Knox County Board of Education for a final decision as to whether they will build a new school under the proposal.