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La Verne council rejects low bid for citywide striping, directs staff to rebid
Summary
On Oct. 6 the La Verne City Council voted 3–2 to reject a low bid found nonresponsive for the citywide signing and striping project and directed staff to re-advertise the work, citing missing subcontractor disclosure and concerns about contractor experience and competition.
The La Verne City Council voted 3–2 on Oct. 6 to reject the lowest bid for a citywide signing and striping contract and send the project back out to bid after staff found the low bidder nonresponsive under public contract rules.
Public Works Director Danny Wu told the council the project (CIP MI2402) would refresh thermoplastic striping on key corridors, install high-visibility ladder crosswalks near schools, replace faded regulatory signs and add reflective backplates at about 13 intersections to improve nighttime visibility. Two bids were received; the apparent low bidder, Demo Leaders Inc., was judged nonresponsive because it failed to specify the extent (percentage or dollar amount) of work a subcontractor would perform, a disclosure required by the public contract code. Staff recommended rejecting that bid and awarding the work to Superior Pavement Markings for $375,944, an amount within the project appropriation.
"The low bid was determined as nonresponsive because they did not provide all the required information on subcontractor utilization," the contracted engineer (Cody, city engineer) told the council, explaining the legal and procurement rationale.
Several council members pushed back, saying the disqualification left only one responsive bidder and potentially cost the city roughly $91,500 compared with the rejected low price. "We're going to be $91,511.50 more with Superior Pavement Markings," one councilmember said, urging staff to rebid to try to attract striping specialists and yield better value from restricted gas-tax and right-of-way funds.
Staff described outreach efforts to likely contractors and noted that striping firms often act as subcontractors rather than prime contractors — a factor that can reduce prime bids on stand-alone striping solicitations. The engineer also said the city’s base engineer estimate for this scope was about $340,000 for the base bid.
After extended questioning about bonding, contractor experience and the timeline for rebidding, the council voted to reject the Demo Leaders bid and re-advertise the project. The motion was recorded as made by Mayor Hepburn and seconded by Councilmember Johnson; the vote carried 3–2, with Councilmembers Crosby and Lau dissenting. Staff told the council they would revise specifications and return with updated bid information.
Why it matters: The work is intended to improve pedestrian and nighttime safety at school crossings and major intersections and is funded from restricted gas-tax and right-of-way funds. Council members said they favored preserving competition so the city can maximize the number of safety improvements performed with the available dollars.
What’s next: Staff said they can alter specifications to encourage more prime-bidder participation, run a new PlanetBids/posting notice and aim to return an award recommendation in November if the schedule holds.
