Council defers award of leisure‑trail paving contract after procurement questions

Council deferred consideration of a Ways & Means recommendation to award a leisure‑trail paving contract (Beachwalker Drive and two short sections of Kiawah Island Parkway) after procurement concerns were raised.

Staff told council they received two bids and recommended awarding the work to Proper Paving LLC (low bid $129,820). Council member Burner, citing construction experience, questioned a more‑than‑100% disparity between the two bids and pointed to numerous exclusions in the low bid (tack/prime coat, grading, testing, traffic control) that, he said, could lead to large change orders. "He's excluding all these things, and he's setting us up for a big change order with a high markup," Burner said.

Public‑works staff said the project is a design‑build scope for a leisure trail (not a roadway) and the low bidder has prior references (including work for the town and Seabrook) with satisfactory performance; staff offered to provide a line‑item tabulation and promised to get written clarification about exclusions. Brian (Public Works) said he and the contractor had walked the scope and found nothing to indicate an underbid, and he offered to arrange a meeting with council members and the contractor.

Council voted to withdraw the pending motion and defer award for approximately two weeks, directing staff and at least one council member to meet the contractor and resolve the questions, including confirming unit rates, required tack coat or prime coat on segment areas, traffic‑control needs and contract change‑order limits.

Next steps: site walk and contractor meeting, staff to provide unit‑rate comparisons and written clarifications; council will reconvene (special call) to consider award.