Board rejects Redley bid for elementary/middle renovation, plans narrower rebid

The Spencer County Board of Education voted July 22 to reject a construction bid from Redley Construction for BG24-158 (the Spencer County Elementary and Middle School renovation) and directed staff and Sherman Carter Barnhart to repackage the documents and rebid.

Justin from Sherman Carter Barnhart told the board that the low competition on bid day and the gap between the bid numbers and the district's projection meant value-engineering items did not reduce cost enough. He said the plan is to remove most alternates, clarify scope, and reissue a condensed package by the end of August with contractor responses due in late September or October.

"We just don't feel like the value was there that we were getting enough value back out of the items to be able to justify moving forward with Redley," Justin said. Mr. Rucker and the superintendent supported a rebid to encourage sharper competition and lower prices.

Board members asked about geothermal work and phasing to avoid disrupting sports seasons; Justin said the team would discuss phasing and might create a separate bid package for geothermal wells so that certain work could proceed without impacting athletic fields.

The board adopted the recommendation to reject the Redley bid and to pursue rebidding with a tightened scope. The superintendent asked for a written timeline to share with the board; Sherman Carter Barnhart staff said an updated timeline would be redistributed the following day.

The vote to reject the bid was taken in open session; the board will revisit the project after receiving updated contractor proposals.