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Council awards Knife River $699,699 contract for downtown sidewalk and parking project Phase 2
Summary
After open bids came in under the engineer's estimate, Columbia Falls authorized the city manager to sign a contract with Knife River for the downtown sidewalk and parking Phase 2 project; Knife River submitted the winning bid of $699,699.
Columbia Falls city council authorized the city manager to sign a contract with Knife River to build Phase 2 of the downtown sidewalk and parking improvements.
City Manager Eric reported bid opening results showing Knife River as the low bidder at $699,699, well under the engineer's estimate. Two other bids also fell below the engineer's estimate but were higher than the Knife River bid. Staff described Knife River as experienced with the city and familiar with the project. Council moved, seconded and approved the contract award by roll call; staff will proceed with contract execution for 2026 construction.
Council members asked for the numeric spread between the winning and other bids and were told the other bids were approximately $904,000 and $871,000; staff said the trend of lower-than-estimate bids may reflect current market conditions. No contract amendments were discussed at the meeting; formal award and execution will follow procurement procedures.
