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The city intends to award and negotiate the contract for the $195 million renovation of the Portland Building with general contractor Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty Co., and architecture firm DLR Group, according to a notice dated this past Friday.

Two other teams proposed bids for the highly technical design-build-relocation project 鈥� Yost Grube Hall Architecture and JE Dunn; and FFA Architecture and Interiors, Perkins & Co. and Andersen Construction.

鈥淚t’s an honor that I don’t think any of us are taking lightly,鈥� said Justin Stranzl, senior associate with DLR. 鈥淲e’ll treat the building with the care and respect it deserves. There’s certainly a pressure there, but I think we’re up for it.鈥�

The Portland Building contract commits HSW to complete the project by 2020 and to a maximum cost of $195 million. During construction, some city services will be relocated in an effort to save money.

The Michael Graves-designed Portland Building has proven divisive since it was finished in 1982. The 15-story office building has drawn criticism for its unconventional post-modernist design, as well as engineering issues, including a leaking building envelope and seismic vulnerability. More than 1,300 primarily city employees work there.

The $195 million cost includes relocation of some of those employees to a still undetermined location while work is being done on the building.

Next up on the council-approved project timeline, HSW is to provide options regarding employee relocation, with a decision expected in the fall. Also, the target budget, scope, and schedule is expected to be set by the end of the 2016 calendar year.