Downey council approves construction contract for Space Center project; staff says bid within budget

Downey '026 ' The Downey City Council unanimously approved a construction contract May 26 awarding Bernard Brothers the build contract for the city's Space Center project after staff described a two-step prequalification and bidding process.

Director Bumgard described prequalification (12 firms submitted qualifications; three were invited to bid) and said Bernard Brothers was the lowest responsible bidder among qualified firms. "Staff went through a very detailed process to pre-qualify bidders to make sure the team selected at the end could meet all our expectations and all our special needs," Director Bumgard said, noting special challenges including moving or protecting a shuttle mock-up inside the new building.

Council members welcomed the apparent savings relative to the project's authorized budget and asked about contingencies and parking. Staff said the bid is within budget and that a contingency (reported in the meeting) remains available; staff also noted an outstanding fundraising need for later phases and said a parking study and further funding options will be brought back to council.

The motion to approve the contract passed unanimously. The staff report documents the procurement process, the prequalification stage, and the recommendation; staff will return with further reports on parking and project phasing as fundraising progresses.

Note on figures: staff discussed the authorized budget and the approved bid amounts during the presentation and Q&A. Those numeric figures were reported during the meeting transcript and will be confirmed in the contract documents available in the city's procurement records.