Beaumont council approves $3.31 million contract for citywide street improvements

The Beaumont City Council voted to award the construction contract for the fiscal-year annual citywide improvements project, CIP R25-01, to Vance Corporation and authorized alternates and a 10% contingency for a total construction cost of $3,309,711.

City staff Robert Vestal presented the project and procurement results, saying, “Their base bid was 2,877,000.” Vestal told the council the city published the request for bids on May 7 and received five bids on June 12, with Vance Corporation the low bidder. Vestal said the recommended total includes several alternate bids (including paving the alley behind Napa) and a 10% contingency.

Council discussion focused on construction management and inspection. Council member Fenn asked about a staff note that the city intends to use NV5 to provide supplemental construction management and inspection from an on-call contract and observed there was roughly a $700,000 difference between the low bid and the next bidder. Vestal said NV5 would assist the city inspectors and have a city representative at the asphalt plant to verify materials, and that the city’s preliminary estimate for NV5 services is about $100,000. He also said NV5 has supplemented the city’s inspection efforts on prior street projects.

There were no public comments on the item. A council member moved to approve the recommended action; another council member seconded. On a roll call, Council member Fenn, Council member Martinez, Mayor Pro Tembois and Mayor Lara voted yes; Council member White was recorded as excused/absent. The motion carried and the council adjourned shortly afterward.

The vote and contract award advance the city’s CIP R25-01 citywide improvements; staff indicated NV5 will provide supplemental inspection services during construction and that specific plant-level verification will be done once the contractor notifies the city which asphalt plant will be used. The motion approved the award to Vance Corporation and the established contingency; staff did not provide a final executed contract amount at the meeting.

The council did not identify funding sources or a construction start date during the discussion. Staff said final inspection costs were still being obtained and provided only a preliminary estimate for the supplemental inspection services.