District staff recommend rebidding wastewater plant expansion design after scope, price confusion

Pueblo West staff informed the board that the previously approved resolution to award design services for the wastewater treatment plant expansion has encountered scope and price disagreements with the engineering firm, and staff recommended issuing a new request for proposals.

At the November meeting the board previously approved awarding design of the wastewater plant expansion to A2S for $991,000; staff said A2S later submitted a revised scope and pricing that increased the fee to about $1.3 million and then provided another revision reducing the price back toward the original number. Staff told the board there is not yet a signed contract.

Michael Winters, procurement manager, confirmed to the board that staff’s intent with the original RFP was to obtain design services and that the current state of multiple price/scope versions made staff reluctant to proceed without clearer scope language. “We do not have a signed contract with them, still to this point,” staff said. Jeffrey (Staff member) summarized staff’s recommendation: the district should prepare and issue another RFP that specifies the intended design scope and the evaluation criteria, and the Monday meeting packet should indicate the potential for rebidding the project.

Directors asked for clearer scope bullet points to be provided at the next public meeting; staff said they would revise the agenda title to note the potential for rebidding and prepare documentation showing the board’s formal direction if they choose that route. No final award or contract ratification was recorded in the transcript portion of the work session.

If the board approves rebidding, staff said the next steps would be to publish a clarified RFP and evaluate responses, returning to the board for a formal selection and contract award.