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Council defers Candlewood Bridge bid award after lone bid exceeds estimate
Summary
City administrator Dennis Carr told the council the Candlewood Bridge masonry repair drew only one bid from Autobahn and that contractor pricing—driven in part by crane work to reset large blocks—exceeded the engineer’s estimate; the city is awaiting IDOT guidance before recommending an award.
City administrator Dennis Carr told the Washington City Council on Aug. 4 that the Candlewood Bridge repair project received a single bid and the city cannot recommend awarding that bid until it gets guidance from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
“The bid opening was July 24 … we only had one bidder,” Carr said, describing why Autobahn’s price exceeded the engineer’s estimate. He said the contractor indicated the work requires a crane to set large blocks in the creek, which raised costs above the city’s previous funding resolution of about $356,188.25. “So right now, we’re just kind of in a place of uncertainty … So at the time, we cannot recommend an award,” Carr said.
Carr said staff contacted several contractors and learned that many local firms do not specialize in heavy masonry highway work, which limited competition. He said the city’s MFT account can cover the higher cost but that guidance from IDOT is needed to determine whether the existing funding resolution can be amended or whether a new resolution or other action is required before an award can be made.
A council member urged staff to pursue value engineering and material substitutions to increase competition and lower costs. “If there are any revisions that can be made to materials…that would make it a more competitive bid process, I’d be all in favor of that,” the member said.
The council removed the bid-award recommendation for item 10b from the consent/review agenda and will revisit the project after the city receives further information from IDOT and any follow-up cost or scope options from staff.
