After being a dedicated spin-class enthusiast for years, Laura is finally going somewhere (on a bike). She rides the humbling and inspirational 50-mile Pelotonia route from Downtown Columbus to New Albany, raising money for cancer research.
People
Laura J. Bowman
Laura Bowman’s practice focuses on the preparation of construction project documents on behalf of private and public owners.
Laura provides guidance on project delivery systems, including construction manager at risk and design-build, and creates procurement and bidding documents as well as construction project contracts. Her experience also includes advising public owners on compliance with Ohio statutory requirements relating to construction bidding and procurement. Project values vary from less than $100,000 to over $1 billion.
Laura has worked on a wide range of healthcare construction projects, from renovations of existing hospital spaces to new construction of stand-alone medical facilities. Her practice includes preparing requests for qualifications, requests for proposals and agreements with architects, engineers, contractors, construction managers, design-builders, construction managers at risk, vendors, owner's representatives and consultants for private and public hospitals and health systems. She has also presented internal training to clients related to construction procurement laws and best practices.
Additionally, Laura represents a variety of public and private entities in Ohio. She has worked on agreements for private developers; renovation and new build projects for cities, villages, townships, libraries, counties and port authorities; jail construction and renovation projects; water/wastewater construction projects; and school renovations, including urgent necessity projects.
Previously, Laura served as an extern in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and worked in national marketing for the PBS television show American Experience.
Experience
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Hospital system transformation construction manager at risk projects
Assisted a public health care system with its procurement processes and agreements for design professionals, owner's representative and construction manager at risk for a $1 billion multiple-project transformation.
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Library renovation and new construction projects
Prepared procurement and bidding documents and negotiated contracts for architects, construction managers at risk, and general contractors for renovation and new construction projects for libraries, including projects involving multiple branches. Construction values ranged from less than $100,000 to $20 million.
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County jail renovation and new construction projects
Assisted with the selection of project delivery models and prepared request for qualifications, request for proposals, design professional agreements and construction contract documents for a variety of new build and renovation projects for county jails. Project delivery models included construction manager at risk, design-build and general contractor. Project values ranged from $3 to $50 million.
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Fire department renovation contracts
Prepared and negotiated criteria architect and design-build contracts, as well as architect and general contractor procurement/bidding documents for the design and construction of new township fire department facilities.
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Phased renovation and expansion healthcare projects
Assisted private and public health care systems in negotiating and preparing design professional and construction manager at risk agreements for phased renovation and expansion projects with budgets ranging from $1 million to $15 million.
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Task order construction manager at risk agreement
Prepared the requests for qualifications, requests for proposals and specialized contract documents for task order construction manager at risk arrangements for public and private entities including hospital systems and library systems.
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Hospital medical campus renovation construction manager at risk project
Assisted a private health care system in negotiating and preparing design professional and construction manager at risk agreements for the renovation of a recently-acquired medical campus. The project value exceeded $61 million.
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Waiver of competitive bidding
Prepared resolutions and contract documents for projects deemed to be of urgent necessity, including air quality improvement, elevator repair, HVAC, and fire alarm projects for libraries and K-12 school districts.
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Municipal design-build projects
Prepared request for qualifications, request for proposals and contract documents for municipal administration building design-build projects.
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County and city template contracts
Create template architect agreements, engineer agreements, bidding documents and owner-contractor agreements for public entities including cities and counties.
Professional & Community Activities
- Past member, Bricker & Eckler Recruiting Committee
- Past member, Bricker & Eckler Summer Associate Committee
- Past member, Bricker & Eckler Diversity & Inclusion Committee
- Past Admissions Representative, Columbus Wellesley Club Board
Presentations & Published Works
- Speaker, “Beginning a Project: Decision Points,” 20th Annual Bricker & Eckler Top Gun Construction Claims Seminar, October 2022
- Speaker, “Bidding and Beyond: Construction Methodologies,” Ohio Library Council Convention and Expo, September 2022
- Speaker, “Construction Contracts (the Basics and Tools),” OMAA Law Institute, July 2022
- Speaker, “Construction Competitive Bidding and Procurement for Township fiscal Officers,” OTA Construction Webinar for Fiscal Officers, June 2022
- Speaker, “Hidden Pitfalls of the Construction Manager at Risk,” OHA Annual Meeting, June 2022
- Speaker, “Public Bidding and Requirements for Design Professionals and Construction,” Northeast Ohio Regional Library System Webinar Series, June 2022
- Speaker, “Cost-Plus Pricing & GMP Pitfalls - What You Need to Know when Contracting With a CMR or Design-Builder,” 14th Annual Construction Procurement for Public Entities in Ohio, May 2022
- Speaker, “CMR & Design-Build Procurement,” 14th Annual Construction Procurement for Public Entities in Ohio, May 2022
- Speaker, "How to Hire an Architect: The Ohio Revised Code and Beyond," OLC Annual Convention and Expo, October 2021
- Presenter, "Streamlining Procurement with Term Agreements for Construction Professionals" Ohio Township Association Law Directors' Webinar, August 2021
- Presenter, “Streamlining Procurement with Term Agreements for Design Professionals, CMRs, & Design-Builders,” 13th Annual Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts Webinar Series, July 2021
- Presenter, "Using Term Agreements to Simplify & Streamline Construction Procurement," Ohio Hospital Association Annual Meeting, June 2021
- Presenter, "Evaluating Bids & Documenting the Competitive Bidding Process", Ohio Township Association Law Directors' Webinar, December 2020
- Presenter, "To Bid or Not to Bid? Public Bidding and Procurement Requirements for Design Professionals and Construction", Ohio Library Council Public Library Construction Workshop, October 2020
- Presenter, "Competitive Bidding and Procurement for Township Construction," Ohio Township Association (OTA) Law Director Webinar, September 2020
- Presenter, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Understanding Construction Procurement for Municipal Construction," Ohio Municipal League, August 2020
- Presenter, "Cost-Plus Pricing & GMP Pitfalls – What You Need To Know When Contracting with a CMR or Design-Builder," Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts, June 2020
- Presenter, "CMR & Design-Build Procurement," Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts, June 2020
- Speaker, “Construction Procurement Process Overview for Counties,” County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO)/County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO) Winter Conference, December 2019
- Speaker, "Selecting Project Delivery Models & Bidding by the Book,” Ohio Library Fiscal Officers Association, November 2019
- Speaker, "Beginning a Project – Decision Points," Top Gun Construction Seminar, November 2015, October 2017, October 2018, October 2019 and October 2020
- Speaker, "How Selecting the Right Project Delivery Model Can Protect Your Budget, Schedule, and Operations," Ohio Library Council's Library Facilities Conference, July 2019
- Speaker, "Bidding by the Book: Do You Need to Bid to Build It?" Ohio Library Council's Library Facilities Conference, July 2019
- Speaker, "Project Delivery Methods Available to Public Owners - Figuring Out What Works Best for Your Project," Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts, May 2019
- Speaker, "Key Considerations in Risk Management and Cost Control for CMR Projects," Ohio Hospital Association Webinar, August 2018
- Speaker, "Design-Build and Construction Manager at Risk Methods: Selecting the Firm that will Provide the Best Value," Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts in Ohio workshop, May 2016, May 2017, May 2018
- Speaker, “Library Facilities Procurement,” Northeast Ohio Regional Library System Association Construction/Facilities Group, March 2018
- Speaker, "Risk Management in Health Care Construction," Ohio Hospital Association Annual Meeting, June 2017
- Presenter, "Risk Management in Healthcare Construction," Ohio Hospital Association webinar, January 2017
- Speaker, “School Procurement and Construction Issues,” BASA School Facilities and Safety Conference, March 2016
- Speaker, “Bidding & Purchasing,” Ohio Municipal League Newly Elected Council Seminar, February 2016
- Speaker, “Selecting a Design-Builder and Construction Manager at Risk,” Selecting Project Delivery Models and Bidding for Public Construction Contracts in Ohio workshop, May 2014 and May 2015
- Speaker, “School Procurement Basics: Bidding, Proposals, Joint Purchasing,” BASA School Facilities Conference, March 2015
- Speaker, “The Importance of Having the Right Front End Documents,” Top Gun Construction Claims Seminar, November 2014
- Speaker, "Construction Basics: Contract Documents and Statutory Requirements for School Construction," Buckeye Association of School Administrators School Facilities Conference, March 2014
- Speaker, "Sole Source," Top Gun Construction Claims Seminar, November 2013
- Speaker, "Design-Builder Selection Process," Selecting Project Delivery Models and Bidding for Public Construction Contracts in Ohio workshop, May 2013
Bar Admissions & Activities
- Admitted, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- Admitted, State of Ohio
Awards & Recognition
- Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation’s Leadership Institute Class of 2022-2023
- Up & Coming, ChambersUSA, Construction, 2022
- Rising Star, Ohio Super Lawyers (Construction Litigation), 2020-2022
Education
- The Ohio State University (J.D., cum laude, 2012); Ohio State Law Journal
- Wellesley College (B.A., cum laude, 2006)
Riding in Pelotonia
Travel
When they can get away, Laura and her husband love to explore the world. Here they are, “lost” in Venice, Italy, on their honeymoon!
Sun and Sea
For R&R, Laura and her family enjoy soaking in some sunshine, as well as deep sea fishing and lobstering. Here’s Laura with the “catch of the day” in the Florida Keys.