Sole recycling bid is too high
The bid to remodel a building on Lavender Drive is $250,000 more than city officials hoped for.
A call for bids to modify the former Zartic plant as a recycling center netted a lot of early interest but just a single proposal.
And that was about $250,000 higher than he’d been hoping for, County Manager Jamie McCord told members of the citycounty joint services committee.
“It’s not really a snag, but it is a hiccup,” Public Works Director Michael Skeen said Thursday.
Purchasing Director Bill Gilliland said representatives from at least seven companies attended the mandatory pre-bid meeting. However, Dallasbased AB Construction was the only outfit to submit a bid — $620,890 — by the Wednesday afternoon deadline.
The 2013 special purpose, local option sales tax package includes a $1.3 million earmark to move the recycling center from the cramped and outdated facility at 405 Watters St.
County commissioners settled on repurposing the former plant at 412 Lavender Drive as the most cost-effective option. They awarded a $798,000 designbuild contract to Crigler Enterprises Inc. in August for the sorting and baling line, which makes up the bulk of the operation.
Still to be funded: A fire suppression system, scales and storage building, along with the addition of offices, a conference room and training room. The Watters Street property, which abuts a neighborhood, also must be restored.
Skeen said he and architect Robert Noble are scheduled to meet next week with AB Construction officials to review their bid.
There may be a way to get it more in line with available funding.
“We’ll look and see if there’s something we can do internally at a lower cost or something we don’t need,” Skeen said. “Maybe there is something in the scope process he misunderstood and put in a higher number than he should have.”
But Skeen said there are strict limits to the negotiations. If the scope of the project changes, they would likely have to reopen the bidding process to give other companies a chance at the revised project.
Until they speak with the bidder, Skeen said, it’s unclear how the schedule could be affected. Crigler’s contract gives the company 16
weeks to design, build and install the sort line.
“The vendor was optimistic he could still get it done in January, so it’s possible we could still get it open by February if we just have to pull something out,” Skeen said.
Another option would be to break down the work into smaller projects.
McCord said some contractors got out of the business during the recession and there appears to be a shortage of workers in the field. Seeking bids on the separate elements — such as fire protection, concrete work and interior remodeling — would allow smaller companies to participate.
A decision is expected before the end of the month.
“Time is of the essence, but we want to do it right,” McCord said.