Sunbury staff review bids for Cheshire Road lift station; Columbus Street parking lot draws single bid

Sunbury City Finance Committee members reviewed results from recent bid openings for two public-works projects during the March 2025 meeting.

City staff told the committee that the Columbus Street parking-lot project received a single bid from Danbert for $919,000, above the engineer’s estimate of $767,000. For the Cheshire Road lift-station upgrades the committee heard two bids: “Writer Company” at $382,000 and Unlimited Core Solutions at $473,000; the engineer’s estimate listed in the packet was $395,000. The bid package for the lift station was reviewed by Verdantus, the design consultant, and staff recommended awarding the contract to the lower bidder, Writer Company. No formal award vote was taken at the Finance Committee meeting; staff said a formal resolution and recommendation will be brought to the next City Council meeting.

Why it matters: these projects use public funds and the bids show a difference with engineer estimates that could affect budget planning and project timing. Committee members and staff discussed how limited bidder interest and higher-than-expected bids may change the city’s procurement approach.

Committee discussion focused on reasons for low competition and inflated line items. A city staff member explained that specialty items — in this case pavers for the Columbus Street project — can reduce the number of contractors willing to bid, and that seasonality and competing work in the region also affect contractor availability. Staff noted the value of pre-bid meetings as an early indicator of bidder interest and said that combining smaller projects with larger nearby work could attract more bidders.

Members identified follow-up steps staff will take: review the bid items line by line to identify where contractor pricing differed from engineer assumptions (for example, a single supplier for specialty pavers), consider packaging smaller projects with larger street work to attract subcontractors, and present a formal contract award or alternative recommendation to council. Verdantus will continue to provide engineer estimates and post-bid analysis, and staff said they will report next steps at the upcoming council meeting.

Details from the packet and committee discussion were: Columbus Street parking lot — Danbert bid $919,000; engineer estimate $767,000. Cheshire Road lift station — Writer Company bid $382,000; Unlimited Core Solutions bid $473,000; engineer estimate $395,000; Verdantus reviewed the package and staff recommended the lower bidder. The committee did not vote to award either contract at this meeting.

Staff indicated they will bring the formal resolution and staff recommendation to City Council at a future meeting and will provide more detailed bid analysis to the committee and council ahead of any award decision.