Town staff instructed to prepare RFPs for culverts, ditching and resurfacing with sample contract attached

The Infrastructure Committee directed the road commissioner to prepare and advertise RFPs for summer road work that cover culvert replacement, ditching and resurfacing. Committee members emphasized three procurement principles: attach the sample town road-reconstruction contract to the RFP package, reference the state DOT standard specifications where applicable, and include add‑alternates so the town can select reclaim vs. wearing-surface items based on returned bids.

Staff and members discussed technical RFP details: a 1‑inch HMA wearing surface for overlay sections, alternative bid items for reclaiming (pulverize and compact with stated depths), explicit instructions on driveway aprons and shoulders, and award criteria that prioritize best value (price plus technical factors). Brian (a professional engineer present) was asked to advise on required spec sections and on the depth to be stated for reclaim alternatives to avoid over‑specifying a depth that raises cost unnecessarily.

The committee set an execution timeline tied to the town’s summer window: members asked that preparatory work (culverts, ditching, and other site fixes) be done before July 1, and suggested paving occur between July 1 and August 30. Contractors had indicated a two‑week bid turnaround would be workable for paving contractors; staff aimed to finalize the RFP quickly to have real numbers before the town meeting.

Committee members also raised procurement housekeeping: include the sample contract and bid schedule as attachments to the advertisement for bids to avoid post‑award negotiations, and clarify the town’s reservation to accept or reject any/all bids. The committee asked staff to return revised RFP documents and a recommended award process at the next meeting.