Since the $992.6 million bond passed in the Nov. 6 election, Fort Bend ISD is getting to work on projects.

Taxpayers will be able to follow the bond’s progress from an online dashboard and monthly report set to go live in February on the district’s website at www.fortbendisd.com.

At a Nov. 12 meeting the board of trustees approved a professional services agreement, valued at up to $21.6 million, with Jacobs Project Management Co. to be the district’s construction manager-agent for execution of the 2018 bond work.

Hiring a construction manager-agent for the 2018 bond work is different from the 2014 bond work, where a program manager oversaw the program, according to an agreement presented by the board.

“This new approach to managing the 2018 Bond Program is based on the foundation that the leadership and decision-making needs to be executed directly by the district, and not a third party,” the agreement states. “... this new structure will help us avoid the problems and concerns we experienced at the outset of the 2014 Bond Program.”

New processes will also help FBISD execute certain job orders faster. For example, the installation of drinking fountains across the district would be assigned to one contractor so the project is completed in a more timely manner, FBISD employees told trustees at a Dec. 10 meeting.