Bids on New Public Works Building Exceed Estimates by $1.6 Million

By RIck Smith, Reporter

Tools

By Ellen Kurt

Story Created: Sep 26, 2012 at 2:56 PM CDT

Story Updated: Sep 26, 2012 at 3:35 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The low bids from contractors competing to build the city’s new City Services Center to replace the city’s Public Works Facility at 1201 Sixth St. SW exceeded the pre-bid estimates by $1.6 million, the City Council learned this week.

The apparent low bid of $19.185 million for the project’s general contract came from Miron Construction Co. Inc. of Cedar Rapids. The bid exceeded the pre-bid estimate of $18.3 million by 4.8 percent or $885,000.

In a second contract for the project’s mechanical and plumbing work, Modern Piping Inc. of Cedar Rapids submitted the apparent low bid of $4.57 million, $420,000 or 10.1 percent higher than the pre-bid estimate of $4.15 million.

Acme Electric Co. Inc. of Cedar Rapids submitted the apparent low bid of $4.24 million for the project’s electrical work, an amount $459,912 or 12.2 percent more that the pre-bid estimate of $3.78 million.

Bids on a fourth contract, for demolition work at the site, came in lower than the pre-bid estimate of $640,000. D.W. Zinser Co. of Walford is the apparent low bidder with a bid of $489,000 or 23.6 percent lower than the pre-bid estimate.

Together, the four bids exceed the combined pre-bid estimates by $1.6 million.

Sandy Pumphrey, the Public Works Department’s building facilities capital project manager, told the City Council on Tuesday that the department would review the bids and try to determine the reasons why three of the four exceeded the pre-bid estimates.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, council member Chuck Swore, chairman of the council’s Infrastructure Committee, noted that the city staff and the City Council had extended the deadline for the bidding on the City Services Center project.

Swore said the extension of bidding appeared to make sense because bids from contractors for the individual contracts were relatively close to one another even if they exceeded the pre-bid estimates. His point was that the relative closeness of the bids meant that the contractors each understood the details of the project in similar fashion.

Five contractors submitted bids on the general contract, six on the mechanical and plumbing contract, four on the electrical contract and three on the demolition contract.

Swore, who runs a consulting business called CRS Small Business Services, works as a consultant for Miron Construction Co. Inc., Modern Piping Inc. and other local contractors, he has said.

He has added that he only consults on the companies’ private-sector contracts, not those with the city.

Next Article Suspicious Package on Wilson Avenue SW Was Cooler Full Of Food

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Crime, sexual abuse, property fires, automobile accidents, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.