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Bettendorf board approves $11.4 million award for middle school Phase 1; construction manager-at-risk process used
Summary
The Bettendorf Community School District board voted unanimously to award Phase 1 construction work for Bettendorf Middle School after a construction manager-at-risk bidding process; the recommended award totals $11,428,172 and includes an alternate to replace a fire lane.
The Bettendorf Community School District board voted unanimously to approve bids for Phase 1 of the Bettendorf Middle School renovation, accepting construction manager-at-risk recommendations and awarding the package at a total project value of $11,428,172.
Lee Marbach, a project executive with Russell, told the board the district received 33 bids across 13 subcontract categories and recommended awarding contracts to the lowest responsible bidders. "We received them here in this room at 3PM," Marbach said, describing the prequalification and bidding steps. He said the recommendation also includes Alternate 3, to replace the fire lane, because heavy equipment traffic during construction is likely to damage the existing lane.
The board discussed the estimate against prior projections; Marbach said estimates had been around $12 million but the bid tabulation brought the current all-in number to $11,428,172 including sitework, furnishings and other costs. Board members thanked the Russell team for working on an accelerated timeline to preserve the project schedule.
The vote to approve the bid awards carried on a roll call, recorded in the meeting as 7-0.
Why it matters: Phase 1 is intended to build a classroom wing of roughly a dozen classrooms and is the first step in the district's planned middle-school renovation. The firm and subcontractor awards determine the contractor team that will execute early construction work and affect the district's near-term capital spending and schedule.
Details of the procurement: Marbach described the procurement as using the construction manager-at-risk (CMR) approach under Chapter 26 of the Iowa Code, a process the district and its adviser said they followed for prequalification, solicitation, and bid evaluation. He told the board every apparent low bidder submitted a full, responsible bid and that the board packet includes a summary of costs and low bidders by trade.
Board members asked for clarification comparing the bid total to earlier estimates; Marbach acknowledged two earlier figures had circulated and that the bid tabulation produced the number presented to the board. The board approved placing the bid award on the record and moved to keep the construction schedule intact.
Next steps: The district plans a groundbreaking ceremony for the middle school work and will proceed with contract awards and mobilization consistent with the accepted schedule.
