Martel Construction has been selected as the general contractor for the construction of a new City Hall and parking structure in Whitefish.

City Council Jan. 20 approved entering contract negotiations with the company, which has offices in Bozeman, Missoula and Bigfork. Council will vote on final approval of the contract following negotiations.

Martel will serve as the general contractor and construction manager at risk.

The city went out for request for proposals in December to select a contractor. Based upon submissions, four firms were asked to submit further information. In addition to Martel, those included Swank Enterprises, Dick Anderson Construction and Langlas & Associates/Andersen Construction.

The four firms were interviewed by a selection committee that included city staff and councilors.

It was important to some members of the selection committee to try to select a construction firm with a presence in Flathead County in order to help ensure that local sub-contractors and local employees would have a chance at working on the project, according to City Manager Chuck Stearns.

Historically, the city has used the “design-bid-build” method of construction, which involves designing the building then awarding the construction contract to the lowest responsible bidder. However, the construction manager method brings on a general contractor earlier in the process and the manager guarantees the price for the entire project.

The construction manager method should benefit the project by getting the construction company involved earlier to help with issues such as costs and planning for the project, according to Stearns.

The city has also gone out for request for proposals to select an owner’s representative for the day-to-day oversight of the construction of the new City Hall and parking structure.