If Madison County moves ahead on a new courthouse, it will go up under the supervision of a professional construction program management firm.

Commissioners heard presentations Tuesday from three companies vying for the job: HPM, Volkert and TCU Consulting. Two more will pitch their services over the next week.

A construction program manager represents the interests of a project’s owner – in this case, Madison County – through the planning and building processes. Typical services include consulting on construction solicitations and bids, monitoring construction to ensure contractual compliance, auditing procurement costs, and organizing the relocation of offices and personnel.