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Board affirms $13.9 million award to Spinello for Madison Street 30‑inch water‑main rehabilitation after protest
Summary
The Board of Estimates approved a DPW award to Spinello Companies for the Madison Street area 30‑inch water main rehabilitation (SB2512271). The award followed a bid review and a protest from a competing bidder; DPW said the selected bidder met the solicitation’s slip‑lining qualifications.
The Board of Estimates on Aug. 20 approved an award to Spinello Companies for a water‑main rehabilitation project on East Madison Street and adjacent blocks (agenda item SB2512271). The project was described on the agenda as the Madison Street area 30‑inch water main rehabilitation with an amount cited in the agenda materials of $13,923,300; a protest had been filed by Robert DeShield on behalf of Northeast Remsco.
DPW officials said the solicitation included a qualifications requirement for contractors that perform slip‑lining on potable water mains: bidders were asked to demonstrate prior potable‑water, slip‑lining work of specified minimum linear footage and recent experience. DPW’s presentation showed the low apparent bidder had been rejected because its submitted references did not demonstrate the required slip‑lining experience for potable water mains; DPW said the second bidder, Spinello, provided references that substantiated water‑main slip‑lining work and therefore met the qualifications.
Deputy chief Blake Sukka described slip‑lining as a trenchless rehabilitation method in which a smaller, flexible pipe is pulled inside an existing host pipe, reducing excavation impacts and construction‑time and providing a proven method for rehabbing aging water infrastructure. The department said slip‑lining requirements, potable‑water pressure considerations and contamination control differentiate water‑main slip‑lining from some sewer work and motivated the specific qualifications.
Northeast Remsco representatives questioned the evaluation and noted they have performed large slip‑lining projects under city sanitation contracts; they asked the board to award the contract to the lowest bidder. DPW officials said they made repeated efforts to contact bidder references and that the available reference responses showed the rejected bidder’s work did not meet the potable‑water slip‑lining requirement in the solicitation.
After the discussion, the board approved the award. The clerk noted a pending protest from Northeast Remsco on the item.
