Roof repairs at six public schools have been completed in record time this spring — an average of 34 days — under a new contracting system.

The method has cut the time it takes to replace leaky roofs to a matter of weeks from several years, from procurement to completion. The projects range from the busy auditorium at Castle High to portable classrooms at Honaunau Elementary on Hawaii island.

Students and staff at King Intermediate School in Kaneohe just got a new roof for their cafeteria after years of waiting and stopgap measures. Things had gotten so bad that rain would drip in during rainstorms, and a section had to be cordoned off.

“For years our cafeteria had been in dire need of repair,” Principal Wendy Matsuzaki said Monday at a Hawaiian blessing for the new roof. “We’re very happy that it’s done. Our students can now enjoy their lunch and after- school activities with a new and improved roof over their heads. Our beautiful new roof matches the beautiful scenery of our school campus.”

The contractor, Leeward Roofing & General Contracting, started work March 16 and wrapped up by Wednesday. Work included removing two roof systems installed on top of each other and improving drainage and slope.

Previously, each roof repair for a public school had to go through the traditional design-bid-build process, which typically takes several years.

The new approach, known as job-order contracting, instead relies on several companies chosen through competitive bidding to perform common repair projects at fixed prices under a multiyear contract.

The 34-day average for the recent roofing projects covered procurement, purchase order and construction to completion. Actual construction time for the projects ranged from eight to 23 days.

“Job-order contracting is like having a price list for jobs,” said Dann Carlson, assistant superintendent for the Office of Schools Facilities and Support Services. “We basically bring contractors on board who are competitively selected. They all agree to this price list.”

So they can be plugged into jobs as needed, quickly and easily. That compares with the old system that dragged on for about seven years, from appropriation to design, bidding, protests over awards, construction and sometimes cost overruns as conditions changed.

Job-order contracting is commonly used by the federal government, but this is the first time a state agency in Hawaii has tried it, Carlson said.

“Given the size of our public school system, we have been really looking at ways we can make things more efficient, be creative with the procurement process,” he said.

The Department of Education hired Gordian, a national company that originated job-order contracting and implements such programs across the country, to launch Hawaii’s efforts. Gordian also handles construction management and is paid through savings in overhead.

In addition to saving time, Carlson expects the new system to lead to “huge cost savings” for the state.

Hawaii’s public schools have a backlog of repair and maintenance projects that totaled $868 million at the end of last year, with roofing the largest category.

“Roofing is really, as far as repair and maintenance, at the top of our need list,” Carlson said. “We have well over $100 million worth of roofing projects that need to be accomplished throughout the state.”

Job-order contracting is appropriate for midsize jobs — repetitive, common repairs that crop up across the system. Smaller fixes can be handled by the Department’s Facilities Maintenance Branch. And larger projects, such as new schools, require individual design and permitting.

In January the department chose three roofing contractors for Oahu, two roofing contractors for the Big Island and two mechanical contractors for various islands. In the last three months, it has procured more than $2 million in roof repair work.

Along with Leeward Roofing & General Contracting, other contractors who handled the eight recent projects at six campuses were Surface Shield Roofing Co., Heartwood Pacific LLC and Tory’s Roofing & Waterproofing.

Projects at 14 more schools are planned for this summer. The department hopes to use job-order contracting for all its roofing projects and is gearing up to use it for air conditioning projects.

SPEEDY REPAIR

School roofing projects completed in March and April:

>> Castle High: Auditorium roof restoration

>> Honaunau Elementary: New roofs for portables

>> Honaunau Elementary: Second set of portables re-roofed

>> Honokaa Elementary: New roofs for portables

>> King Intermediate: New cafeteria roof

>> Konawaena High: Gutters replaced

>> Leilehua High: New roofs for portables

>> Leilehua High: Second set of portables re-roofed