Primary Department: Institute of Forensic Sciences
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Pramod Gumpeni, M.D., Interim Chief Medical Examiner
Managing Department: County Engineer
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, County Engineer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: IFS Facility Modifications - DNA Laboratory Relocation / Expansion
Project ID (if applicable): TBD
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $28,522,167
Total Estimated Project Cost: $40,564,527
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the IFS Facility Modifications - DNA Laboratory Relocation/Expansion and Building Renovation project, for an amount of $28,522,167 and request for approval of initial commercial paper funding in the amount of $2,000,000.
end
Project Description:
The relocation/reconstruction project for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS) has been pending the start of construction for the last several years. On May 19, 2020, the Commissioners Court authorized architectural and engineering services for improvements to the HCIFS building located at 1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, TX, 77054. Subsequently, on September 19, 2023, Commissioners Court approved acceptance of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/U.S. Department of Commerce grant funds in the amount of $12,042,360, with no required match, for the Institute of Forensic Sciences Design and Renovation. On June 12, 2025, the Commissioners Court approved two contract awards for professional architectural and/or engineering services for the design of the Institute of Forensic Sciences building, Forensic Genetics (DNA) Lab relocation, and Morgue reconstruction.
Currently, HCIFS is split between two different facilities, both of which are undersized for the growing caseload HCIFS experiences each year. The overall renovation project has been scaled down to focus only on the priority needs of HCIFS, which addresses necessary expansions and consolidations to improve operations to allow for enhanced and expanded vital services. The project primarily relocates and expands the Forensic Genetics (DNA) Laboratory and staff to the main HCIFS building at 1861 Old Spanish Trail, from a leased space owned by the Texas Medical Center at 2450 Holcombe (at a current yearly lease cost of $549,414, plus parking and utility costs), allowing expanded DNA testing services and better cooperation among all HCIFS service divisions. The influx of additional staff and evidence requires additional building renovations to expand the Evidence Intake area and long-term storage, as well as the addition of a centralized breakroom, training room, small conference rooms, and a small staff wellness / exercise area. The project will also provide renovation and technological updates to the Histology lab and Medical Examiner autopsy suites to expedite statutorily mandated determinations of cause and manner of death. Except for the morgue and evidence intake renovations, all relocation/renovation activities will take place on three existing shell floors currently unoccupied in the main HCIFS building and will impact a total of 56,307 square feet. The project was originally planned in 2022 to be split into phases; however, as the design process progressed over the last year, it became clear that the various reconstruction needs were interconnected, and the various reconstruction pieces needed to be undertaken concurrently. Therefore, HCIFS is requesting permission to move forward with the project in its entirety to reduce future disruption to HCIFS services.
HCIFS has been relying on the expertise of the Office of the County Engineer and the vendor providing specialized architectural and engineering design to finalize the design of relocated/expanded laboratory spaces. Based on this expertise, it is estimated that completion of the project will cost approximately $40,564,527. The NIST/Commerce grant of $12,042,360 expires (assuming no extension is requested) on August 31, 2028, and will be used solely for the relocation and expansion of the DNA Laboratory, as stipulated in the award acceptance letter from the Harris County Judge. The grant funding has also been used to fund the design portion of the project, which was approved by Commissioners Court in June 2025. After those design costs, the grant funding is expected to be $10,079,830 (which is not sufficient to cover the relocation and expansion of the DNA lab without additional funding). Upon depletion of that remaining grant funding, commercial paper will be utilized through completion. HCIFS is now requesting additional CIP funding for the remainder.
Expected Impact:
The relocation of the DNA Laboratory will increase efficiency and collaboration between all HCIFS services, provide a more reliable chain of custody for evidence and more secure physical storage of DNA evidence. The new lab will also be expanded to accommodate more Serologists, DNA Analysts, and additional equipment, leading to more expedited testing of DNA evidence and expanded services offered to the Medical Examiner’s division and the various criminal justice stakeholders HCIFS serves. This leads to more reliable results and increased levels of service for the residents of Harris County. The reconstruction of the Evidence Intake area will accommodate the influx of new pieces of evidence being submitted due to the DNA Lab relocation, and the construction of new common areas will accommodate the influx of additional staff moving to the main facility. The Histology laboratory space was originally built with reinforced floors and high-density shelving, which is not necessary for long-term Histology storage but is a perfect solution for long-term DNA evidence storage. The relocation of Histology to one of the empty shell floors will allow Evidence Intake to use the current Histology lab space with minimal reconstruction / costs needed and allow Histology an opportunity to expand its lab to accommodate more tissue sample processing for the Medical Examiner’s service. The updates to the Morgue autopsy suites will increase the capability for the Medical Examiner’s division to process cases more quickly and efficiently, adhering to the highest industry standards, thereby improving service to the community and HCIFS criminal justice stakeholders.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
Architectural and/or engineering design |
$1,962,530 |
Q1 FY27 |
|
Construction (AV/IT/Security/FFE/HVAC, including contingency, insurance, bonds, etc.) |
$38,601,997 |
Q2 FY29 |
|
Total Cost |
$40,564,527 |
|
|
Grant funding |
($12,042,360) |
|
|
Additional CIP Funding Authorization Request |
$28,522,167 |
|
Justification & Alternatives:
If the additional funding is not approved, HCIFS will have no space to expand to accommodate steadily rising caseloads and additional needs from HCIFS criminal justice stakeholders and the community. The relocation, update, and expansion of the DNA Laboratory, Evidence Intake, Histology, and Morgue will allow for expedited and more comprehensive testing / examinations, which is not possible under the current space restrictions. This relocation also allows the County to discontinue the payment of its lease fees to the Texas Medical Center (TMC), which are currently set at approximately $550,000 per year with an annual increase of 2.5%. The amount paid to TMC for this lease will increase by 25% in 10 years and 50% in 20 years, with no potential increase in square footage. TMC is also anxious to have the leased space returned to use for private healthcare research.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
|
Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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|
|
$- |
|
- |
|
|
|
$- |
|
- |
|
Total |
|
$- |
|
- |
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: E: Increase efficiency across the legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): A4: Improve safety through targeted pursuit of violent crime suspects.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
12/17/2019 |
4.i.7 |
Request for $1 M in CP funding for the IFS masterplan |
|
12/17/2019 |
1.e.2 |
Authorization to negotiate with Page Southerland Page, Inc for the Masterplan Study for the HCIFS building |
|
5/19/2020 |
1.g.4 |
Approval of $86,000 for the Masterplan Study for the HCIFS building |
|
12/15/2020 |
1.f.1 |
Approval of Amendment #1 for additional $31,400 for study efforts |
|
12/14/2021 |
38 |
Approval of Amendment #2 for additional $38,000 for morgue expansion study to complete study efforts |
|
2/8/2022 |
166 |
Approval of PIM $1,501,000 (CP) for PH 1 IFS Improvements (DNA lab, Morgue) |
|
3/22/2022 |
284 |
Approval for advertisement for professional architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of HCIFS building |
|
9/13/2022 |
297 |
Approval to reject the responses received for professional architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of HCIFS building, to be readvertised |
|
2/21/2023 |
275 |
Approval to reject responses received for professional architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of HCIFS building, RFQ cancelled |
|
5/16/2023 |
210 |
Approval to submit an application to NIST for $12,042,360, no required match, for the FY23 IFS Laboratory (CDS) project |
|
9/19/2023 |
245 |
Approval to accept NIST / US Dept of Commerce grant of $12,042,360, no required match, for the FY23 IFS Laboratory (CDS) project |
|
12/5/2023 |
165 |
Approval for advertisement for professional architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of the HCIFS building |
|
2/27/2024 |
501 |
Approval to reject responses received for professional architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of the HCIFS building |
|
2/27/2024 |
122 |
Approval to negotiate with AutoArch Architects, LLC for professional design services in connection with Furniture / Fixture / Equipment at the HCIFS building |
|
8/6/2024 |
257 |
Approval for advertisement for professional and/or engineering services for design and renovation of HCIFS Morgue |
|
8/6/2024 |
258 |
Approval for advertisement for professional and/or engineering services for design and relocation of HCIFS DNA Lab |
|
12/10/2024 |
346 |
Authorization to negotiate with Johnston, LLC for HCIFS Morgue architectural and engineering services |
|
12/10/2024 |
347 |
Authorization to negotiate with Johnston, LLC for DNA Lab architectural and engineering services |
|
6/12/2025 |
252 |
Approval of award with Johnston, LLC for $419,800 for architectural and/or engineering services for design and renovation of HCIFS Morgue |
|
6/12/2025 |
256 |
Approval of award with Johnston, LLS for $1,347,730 for architectural and/or engineering services for design of HCIFS DNA Lab relocation |
Address: 1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, TX 77054
Precinct(s): Precinct 1
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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|
|
|
|
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Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
Grant |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request |
|
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 6/25/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Sandra Staine, Senior Assistant County Attorney, 6/2/26
Department Approval by: Julie Spence Prine, Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer, HCIFS, 6/12/2026
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 6/12/2026
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: County Engineer
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the IFS Facility Modifications - DNA Laboratory Relocation / Expansion project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
OMB Financial Management contact: Fahad Gulzar, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget