Abington Heights staff outline bid process and alternate 'no-gym' option as tariffs raise cost uncertainty

Abington Heights School District officials and their construction manager told the school board the district will follow state public-bidding rules for the middle school project, use four prime contracts plus a separate hazardous-materials removal contract, and include a prominent alternate that would eliminate the planned gym if bids exceed the available budget.

The presentation, led by Jim Kiefer, the project architect, and Matt Kelly of ICS (the district's construction manager), explained that the district will advertise bid documents and accept sealed lump-sum bids from prime general, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors; the lowest responsible bidder would be recommended for award. Officials said the documents include a 10% bid bond requirement, prevailing-wage provisions and AIA-based contract language to govern disputes. The bid package will also include alternates — notably an option to exclude the gym that staff estimate would deduct about $5,000,000 from the base bid if the board chooses that path.

Why it matters: district leaders said material-price uncertainty driven by recent tariffs on aluminum, steel and related products has made bid risk a higher near-term concern than interest-rate risk. The alternate pricing approach, combined with tight bid-document specifications and on-site construction-management oversight, is intended to protect the district from cost…