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Council debates large bid spread for Goose Creek substation; decision delayed for engineer review
Summary
Two bids for the Goose Creek electrical substation came in at $545,600 and $1,254,984; councilors cited a 45–50% spread and asked for a line‑by‑line engineer estimate and additional bids before final award. Staff warned rebidding could delay equipment delivery and affect warranties.
Wastewater Director Michelle Mitchell recommended awarding the installation contract for electrical substation equipment at Goose Creek to Bridal Stanton Inc. (BSI), which submitted a low bid of $545,600, citing the schedule and potential impacts on warranties and grant deadlines if the project were delayed.
Committee members raised alarm at the wide spread between the low bid and the high responsive bid of $1,254,984 from PKF Mark 3 Inc. Councilors questioned why bids differed so much — staff said BSI owns its equipment and cranes, which reduces their costs, while another contractor would need to rent equipment. The engineer’s office noted one responsive bidder may have 'not done their homework' on the bid, but the engineer clarified the comment referred to incomplete due diligence, not a formal disqualification.
Members expressed concern that accepting a single low bid that is roughly 45–50% below the estimate or competition could expose the borough to change orders or performance risk. Some members favored rebidding to get more market responses; others warned rebidding would require redoing engineering and RCO work, could delay the project and risk losing equipment warranties and grant deadlines. Staff said the transformer and low‑voltage switch were scheduled for delivery next week, which complicated options.
The committee directed staff to ask the engineers to prepare a line‑by‑line comparison of the original estimate and the bidders’ line items for the next meeting and moved the award discussion to the work session for further consideration; no final award was made at this meeting.
