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Council approves award for Sherwood Street reconstruction to Environmental Allies after contested bid protest
Summary
After Ballast Point's attorney challenged the evaluation, staff and the project's engineer cited reference and schedule concerns and recommended the third-lowest bidder, Environmental Allies, for the Sherwood Street reconstruction and waterline replacement; the council approved the contract by a 4–1 vote.
At a contested agenda item on Oct. 13 council considered Resolution R2025-103 to award a construction services contract for Sherwood Street reconstruction and associated waterline replacement.
Joe Bryant, speaking for Ballast Point Construction, said his client was the lowest bidder and protested the selection of Environmental Allies (the recommended contractor), alleging an unexplained selection rationale and disputing reference concerns cited by the engineer. Bryant provided documents from other cities where Ballast Point had been selected despite higher bids and said the bid questionnaire issue had been corrected earlier in the summer.
Stephen Ray, the project engineer from Cobb Finley, described his firm’s reference checks and said the evaluation flagged concerns about contract duration and completion history for the apparent low bidder; he said one reference cited significantly longer duration and incomplete work on a prior project and that schedule risk is especially important for neighborhood reconstruction where residents' drive access is affected.
Representatives of Environmental Allies (Stephen Hamilton, Rodolfo Serrano) acknowledged past challenges on certain jobs but said projects were completed, retainage released and that the firm currently manages multiple local jobs on schedule. Staff said nine bids were received and the recommended award amount to Environmental Allies is just over $9.5 million.
Council discussed resident communication plans during construction and the importance of selecting a contractor who can meet the neighborhood schedule and logistical constraints. After debate, the council voted to award the contract to Environmental Allies; the motion passed 4–1.
The staff packet and the engineer’s reference checks were referenced repeatedly during the discussion. Council asked staff to ensure robust resident communication (door hangers, social media, HOA outreach) once a notice to proceed is issued.
