Talks for Collier Engineering role in Nashville Yards project ends amid investigation

After initially being asked by Metro to potentially handle inspections at the the city's massive Nashville Yards project, the engineering firm at the center of a city controversy is not working on the project.

Before questions began to swirl about Collier's work with the city and billing discrepancies, the company, at the request of Public Works Director Mark Sturtevant, verified the project estimates put forth by Ragan Smith, the Nashville Yards engineers. 

With cost estimates verified by Collier, Metro Council then approved $15.2 million for road, sewer and other work around the future mega-development that's planned to be the home of the city's new Amazon hub. 

Under the agreement, the city will reimburse the developers $15.2 million out of $79.5 million they intend to spend on infrastructure work.

Collier's cost estimate check, according the firm president Chad Collier, was done under the scope of their current paving contract with Metro.

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"(Sturtevant) asked me to help him decipher when the Yards was providing Public Works with their estimates of cost." Collier said Thursday afternoon during an interview with the Tennessean. 

"I wrote Mr. Sturtevant a couple of memos that said 'Yes. This work is going to cost all that they were saying," he said. 

Metro Public Works, who confirmed the work by Collier to the Tennessean, estimated the firm's work cost the city $2,000. 

Sturtevant then asked the firm to create a proposal to "oversee the Nashville Yards project" for Metro to ensure that the paving and sidewalk work were up to Metro standards, according to Collier, who estimated the work could've cost up to $100,000. 

Public Works outsources inspection of projects — particularly those as sizable as Nashville Yards — to Collier, due to Metro staffing limitations.

But then came the scrutiny into the group's contract with the city. 

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"I haven't talked to anyone in Public Works in three weeks," Collier said, adding that the proposal was never completed when "things blew up." 

"When nothing is found — I'm sure there's nothing going to be — and when they get to the end of this and provided that we all go forward, if they ask me to do it, then absolutely," he said. 

However, that won't happen, according to Public Works spokesperson Cortnye Stone. 

"We have the capacity to do this in-house," Stone said. "A consultant can put together a proposal for work and we reserve the right to have our needs change. At one point (Collier) might have been part of the conversation to do this work. Our needs have changed."

Reporter Nate Rau contributed to this article.