SOUTH PORTLAND – As the final plans start to come together for the $47 million renovation and expansion of South Portland High School, city officials are hoping that a construction manager can be brought on board to help guide them through the massive project.

But first, they are going to have to lobby to get a change in state law.

In Maine, school projects have traditionally been completed using the “design/bid/build” format, in which a project is put out to bid after the design has been completed.

The construction management format, according to City Manager Jim Gailey, ensures a qualified professional with a construction background is involved in the process. The construction manager joins the process while the project is still in the final design stages, during which time the manager works with the designers to establish an accurate budget and design. The format, said Gailey, works particularly well in projects during which the school must remain open during construction, as is the case in South Portland.

Currently, construction management is not permitted for Maine school construction projects started after Aug. 1, 2009. It had been permitted through a pilot program, which ended in 2009. Gailey and Superintendent Suzanne Godin are now working with state officials in hopes of submitting an emergency bill that would allow construction management for the school project.

Gailey said he will use the language of the pilot program, which gained legislator approval, as a model for the bill. The question, he said, is should the language be tailored for statewide adoption or simply for South Portland’s purposes.

Whatever gets chosen, Gailey foresees opposition from both the Department of Education and the Bureau of General Services.

“There is no guarantee,” he told the City Councilors at the Dec. 20 meeting. “If I were to characterize it today, it will be an uphill fight.”

“We still have to convince the state of Maine this is the right way to go,” added City Councilor Tom Blake.

Gailey and Godin have until Jan. 7 to get the title of the bill to Augusta.

Robert Howe, president of HKTA/architects, who was hired this summer by the city to review the scope of the high school project, said the construction management format worked well during the renovations of Cape Elizabeth High School, where “renovations, of varying degrees affected almost every space.”

He said the Maine Department of Education and Bureau of General Services approved construction management for the project, which was done before the pilot program ended in 2009, because of its complexity and the fact the school remained opened during construction. The South Portland High School project, he said, is “an excellent candidate” for construction management.

Blake said if the city gets approval and construction management works the way it should, the project, as a whole, will benefit.

“Potentially we save some money and more important for me, we get a bigger bang for our buck,” he said.

The council on Monday took the first step in the process by amending a city ordinance to allow construction management to be used for municipal projects. The first project to use the format, Gailey said, could be the new public works garage.

“It will help the city with projects we have coming up,” he said.

Construction management, Gailey said, would serve as an alternative to the design/bid/build format, which will still be an option for both school and municipal construction projects.

A six-member selection panel would choose the construction manager for both municipal and school projects in the city. The City Council would appoint the selection panel for municipal projects and the Board of Education would largely appoint the panel for school projects.