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Rochester rejects BRT bids after apparent low-bid irregularity; staff to repackage and rebid
Summary
Council voted to reject BRT bids after the apparent low bidder sought withdrawal citing a good-faith error; staff will split civil and station/architectural packages and rebid, acknowledging the delay could push full opening past November 2026.
Rochester city staff and council on March 3 agreed to reject the latest round of bids for the city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project after identifying unbalanced line items and receiving a withdrawal request from the apparent low bidder citing a bona fide, good-faith error.
Staff described an irregular bid in which certain critical station and tunnel line items were substantially underpriced, then clarified that the apparent low bidder asked to withdraw after saying they had underwritten roughly $3.2 million due to subcontractor/electrical allocation confusion. The next apparent low bidder was more than $20 million higher, prompting staff to recommend rejecting the bids and repackaging the work to attract appropriate contractors.
Samson Brown (director of construction) and project staff described three options: rebid the entire package as-is; split the work into a civil package (roadway and utilities) and separate foundation/architecture packages to better match contractor skill sets; or immediately rebid the civil package and rebid station/architectural packages later in the summer after value-engineering.
Staff said the project has roughly $58 million already invested in design and property acquisition and that the last bid cycle produced an apparent low bid far below estimates for station/tunnel items. "We learned the apparent low bidder submitted a letter ... clarifying that they had made a bona fide and good-faith error and they underwrote in their bid amount by approximately $3.2 million," staff said.
Council voted to reject the bids and authorize staff to re-advertise packages (civil underground utilities and architecture) and to pursue packaging strategies designed to attract contractors with the correct technical expertise. Staff warned that a full system opening likely will not meet the previously discussed November 2026 target and that the project’s FTA contract requires completion by August 2027; staff are evaluating interim service options.
Council members expressed appreciation for staff transparency and emphasized the need to protect public funds while maintaining the project's delivery goals.
