The physical construction work for schools has historically been put out to bid so that other subcontractors can compete for those jobs and the millions of dollars that come with them. But Diamantis wanted that arrangement to change, and to accomplish that goal he convinced lawmakers to alter state law so that school projects could utilize a so-called “hybrid” construction model. And while implementation of that law has been delayed repeatedly, it is set to go into effect in July. Several industry groups have argued for more than three years that the law would allow construction management firms to bypass the normal bidding procedures for state building projects. Michelle Gilman, the new DAS commissioner, asked lawmakers during a legislative hearing on March 7 to pass a new bill this session that would ban the “hybrid” construction model that Diamantis repeatedly advocated for.
Kosta Diamantis advocated ‘hybrid’ school building setup despite pushback