Warren City Council awards Glenwood Street improvement contract to IA Construction

Warren City Council on May 5 awarded the Glenwood Street improvement contract to IA Construction Incorporated, accepting the company’s $589,838 base bid and finding the apparent low bidder, Dirt Works Excavating LLC, nonresponsive because of bid irregularities and missing documentation.

City staff told the council five bids were received on April 16 and that Dirt Works was initially identified as the apparent low bidder but had material problems in its submission. "There were two mathematical errors. One was a fairly significant error of over $11,000," said Chad Uryssic, a city staff member who reviewed the bids. He also said that after Dirt Works was notified it was the apparent low bidder, it "did not provide the supporting information requested within the period of time allotted in the contract."

The council’s award accepts IA Construction as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Staff noted IA Construction has completed numerous locally, state- and federally funded road reconstruction projects and has prior experience with Community Development Block Grant monitoring and reporting. The project will be paid from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) street/road improvement funds allocated in federal fiscal years 2021 and 2023; staff said $596,134 is available for the project, above the awarded base bid.

Council discussion emphasized timeliness. "Calendars fill up very quickly this time of the year," Mayor Wortman said during deliberations, and staff urged prompt scheduling so the work can occur during the summer construction season. City counsel Barbera questioned whether the irregularities could have been corrected but agreed with staff that the record left them "not confident that they are a responsible bidder."

Council Member Valella moved to approve the award to IA Construction Incorporated; the motion carried on a 5-0 roll call. City Clerk Leary performed the roll call: Council Member Flasher — yes; City counsel Barbera — yes; Council Member Gilbert — yes; Council Member Valella — yes; Mayor Wortman — yes. Two council members, Cashman and McCain, were absent.

The council enclosure included a project map, a GPI memo, and the bid tabulation. Staff said they will follow up on procurement validation and scheduling with the contractor and expected standard CDBG monitoring and reporting requirements to apply.

The meeting adjourned after the vote.