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Robinson awards $7.34 million contract to Ranger Excavating for Pond 1B water treatment rehab
Summary
The City of Robinson accepted a recommendation from its engineering evaluators and awarded a $7,335,200 contract to Ranger Excavating for rehabilitation of Pond 1B at the municipal water treatment plant, after discussion about bid differences and operational risks.
Robinson City Council on the evening of the meeting approved awarding the contract for the Pond 1B water treatment rehabilitation project to Ranger Excavating in the amount of $7,335,200, to be paid from existing utility certificates of obligation.
The contract award follows a sealed-bid procurement in which the city received five bids that ranged from about $6.3 million to $7.6 million, all above the original engineer's opinion of cost ($6.2 million). City staff and the engineering evaluation team reviewed bids on factors including price, experience and qualifications and recommended Ranger Excavating as the top-scoring firm.
City staff described the project as the first step toward a later water-plant expansion and said Pond 1B has recurring problems because the liner was exposed and has suffered UV and physical damage since it was installed in 2008. An engineering representative told the council the work must address liner protection, bolted connections to concrete structures and erosion that has allowed water to get behind the liner.
Jordan Holy, owner of JH Contracting and the apparent low bidder, addressed the council seeking award to his company. Holy said his company is local, has about 50 pieces of equipment and 30 employees, and offered a bid approximately $800,000 below Ranger’s. He argued local performance and lower mobilization costs would make JH Contracting a good choice.
An engineer and city scoring panel representative (Walker Partners and SCS, as noted during the meeting) responded that Ranger Excavating scored highest on qualifications and prior experience for similarly complex liner and earthwork projects. The engineering representative warned that the project is complicated and recommended the higher-scoring bidder to reduce the risk of delays or rework that could affect water operations when new large users come online.
Councilmember discussion emphasized two trade-offs: cost savings from the lower bid versus the evaluation panel's recommendation for a more experienced contractor for a high-risk, technically demanding job. After debate, a motion to award to Ranger Excavating carried; the motion specified the $7,335,200 award and funding from existing utility 2015, 2016 and 2023 certificates of obligation.
Council and staff also discussed operational continuity, power-outage resilience and temporary measures: staff said the plant can route flow between Pond 1A and 1B so rehabilitation can proceed with “minimal impact on operations,” and noted existing backup well generators and a one-site portable generator used during a recent outage. Staff said they will continue to evaluate additional on-site generator needs and bring recommendations back to council if required.
The contract includes a one-year completion term from notice to proceed. Staff said the award does not finalize contract documents; the approved award authorizes contracting and construction to proceed with the selected bidder under the stated funding source.
The council closed the item by encouraging staff and the engineers to monitor schedule and quality during construction and to return with updates if conditions change.
