Mesquite receives $7.79M low bid for Fire Station 2; council to consider award next week

Mesquite staff reported on March 18 that nine bids were received for the Fire Station 2 project and that the apparent low bid was $7,792,196.50 from Shaw Lindquist. City staff said they continue to review paperwork but that "everything right now looks as if they've dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's." The notice of award and agreement will be presented to the council at next week's meeting.

Staff provided the bid range and the city's internal estimate: the highest bid received was about $9,885,945 and the city's estimate was $8,700,000. The low bid is below the estimate. "We were fortunate to come in with a low bid of 7,700,000.0," a staff member said while reporting the apparent low bid figure.

Council members asked standard procurement questions about bidder rating and local participation; staff said most bidders had state bidder preference and that one out-of-state bidder lacked preference. A council member asked whether projects of this size require prevailing wages; staff replied, "Anything over $100,000 is automatically prevailing wage." Staff also described next steps required before construction: contractor submittal of bonds, a pre-construction meeting, and the typical 2–3 week period for bond processing. If approved, staff estimated an early spring start: "I would hope that we could start the project the April, early May, if everything goes as planned."

A public commenter later asked whether grant money was used for the project; staff confirmed the Fire Station 2 project is funded from RDA funds and not by a grant.

Why it matters: The low bid affects council decisions on award and budget execution and sets the near-term schedule for construction of fire infrastructure.

Next steps: Staff will present the notice of award and agreement to the council for approval at the next regular meeting and, if approved, will proceed with bond submittals and a pre-construction schedule.