Board approves low bids for Ottumwa High Phase 2B and Evans Junior High roof projects

At its meeting the Ottumwa Community School District board awarded contracts for two capital projects: the Ottumwa High School Phase 2B renovation and the Evans Junior High roof section 12A replacement. District staff told the board the low bids for both projects came in notably under the district’s earlier cost estimates.

The Phase 2B project was estimated at $3,640,000 in district documents; district staff said the low responsive bid (base bid plus an alternate) totaled $2,753,031, received from Biostate Contracting of West Burlington. Staff said five bids were received for that project and that the lowest was roughly 24 percent below the original estimate.

For the Evans Junior High roof replacement, staff said the original estimate was $267,000 and the low responsive bid of $202,650 came from Blackhawk Roofing Company of Waterloo; four bids were received for that project. Staff said the district had recently worked with both recommended contractors on other local projects.

District staff reviewed the procurement timeline on the projects, saying Iowa Code chapter 26 governs public improvement procurements and that the board had previously approved tentative plans and authorized bid posting. The district reported the bids were posted Dec. 18 and due Jan. 21; a public hearing notice was published in the Courier on Jan. 9.

A board member moved to approve both contracts together; a second was recorded. The board then voted by voice/hand and the motion passed. The motion and vote on the record authorized staff to accept the low responsive bidders recommended by district staff; the board did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting minutes.

Staff said both projects will be funded in part with the local option sales tax fund (Phase 2B) and that the district would present bid tabulations and contract documents to the board for final execution through the usual consent/contract process.