The West Fargo City Commission voted Jan. 5 to accept the low bid from Northern Improvement Company and award the contract for Improvement District 2265, the reconstruction of 9th Street and 7th Avenue Northeast.

Senior staff reported nine bids were received, ranging from $13,755,418.30 to $18,623,902.84. The lowest responsible bidder, Northern Improvement Company, submitted a proposal of $13,755,418.30, which staff said was roughly 28.78 percent below the engineer's estimate of $19,313,000. Senior director Dan Hanson told commissioners the estimated total project cost is $22,880,000 and that secured federal STBG grants and state flex funds will cover nearly all construction costs except ineligible items such as water main and sanitary sewer work.

Hanson said the combination of funding reduces the city's local share to about $5,832,820; he said that amount includes 70 percent of soft costs allocated under the city's 2022 CIP policy for major arterials and that the remaining city share is expected to come largely from capital improvement sales tax and planning fee-in-lieu funds. Hanson also said the state DOT agreed to permit the use of flex funds for certain soft costs and construction administration, which further reduced the local contribution.

Commissioner Zundell moved to accept the bid and award the contract; Commissioner Anderson seconded the motion. The commission approved the contract award by voice vote.

Meeting materials provided to the commission show the award amount and funding breakdown; staff said the city will present additional details about assessment calculations and laydown-site leasing in subsequent meetings.

Next steps: staff will complete contract execution with Northern Improvement Company and return to the commission with final assessment and construction schedule information.