Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board recommends apparent low bidder for library roof; staff flags paperwork support from Freehill Capital
Summary
Board members reviewed rebid results for the library roof, discussed addendum acknowledgement and references, and voted to recommend A1 Home Improvement LLC to the council; staff said the contractor engaged Freehill Capital to handle grant and certified-payroll paperwork.
The Berlin capital projects board voted to recommend A1 Home Improvement LLC as the apparent low bidder for the library roof replacement and will forward the recommendation to the town council for final award.
Staff reported eight bids were received after the project was rebid. The two lowest bids were recorded in the meeting transcript as “4.99” and “5.18” (as stated during the discussion); staff also said the overall project is in the neighborhood of $500,000. During a scope review, A1 initially acknowledged only the first addendum but later confirmed receipt of all four addenda in writing. Staff said the town can waive that as an informality if council approves the recommendation.
Staff member (speaker 2) described additional reference checks conducted on A1 because the firm began as residential reroofers and is expanding into commercial work. The board heard that A1 supplied references including a $500,000 roof for a church and a $300,000 job at a medical center; both references reported good workmanship and adherence to schedule. Staff emphasized that A1 has contracted with Freehill Capital to manage the paperwork side of larger commercial projects, including certified payroll and grant compliance, and that references cited Freehill as key to successful project delivery.
Board members asked whether subcontracted work would meet the project’s specification and whether the contractor could provide a payment and performance bond if the council moves to award. Staff said the contractor currently holds a bid bond and would provide a 100% payment and performance bond before contract execution at council.
After discussion, a member moved and the board voted to recommend A1 Home Improvement LLC to the council. Board members also discussed adding a contingency to the council request, with 10 percent cited as a familiar reference point during the debate.
Next steps: the recommendation will go to the town council for final contract award and staff will provide council with the scope review, reference checks and recommended contingency amount.
