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Council recommends CDM Smith for Southern Preschool flood-mitigation Phase 1; asks for cost clarification
Summary
City staff recommended CDM Smith for 30% design and wetland restoration work for the Southern Preschool flood-mitigation Phase 1, a $3.25 million project. Council asked staff and engineers to return with clearer explanations for an apparent $600,000 cost difference in 30% design line items between bidders.
City staff recommended selecting CDM Smith to lead Phase 1 of the Southern Preschool flood-mitigation project, citing the firm's emphasis on community engagement and the depth of its 30% design deliverables.
"We recommended their selection based on their proposal's emphasis on and their understanding of the communication and collaboration needs related to permitting, community engagement, and technical support, especially for a small city such as Crisfield," Alexandria said while presenting the recommendation. Staff showed a Phase 1 budget of $3,249,990 and outlined multiple funding sources, including roughly $1.9 million from the Maryland Department of the Environment, $500,000 from a revolving resilience loan, $770,500 from a Maryland DNR grant program and $135,000 from The Nature Conservancy.
Council members pressed staff and the in-room engineers to explain a roughly $600,000 difference between the top two finalists' bids in the preparation of the 30% design documents, which staff said constituted the principal source of the price gap. Council asked staff to return with a detailed breakdown and a clear definition of what each bidder included in "30% design." Engineers in the room were asked to review and explain differences in scope before the council makes a final award contingent on funding-agency approvals.
Staff also explained that the component to construct the Gerald's Ditch wetland restoration (about 4.3 acres) is phased: the full project will deliver a 30% design for the broader mitigation plan while the wetland implementation will receive full engineering, permitting and inspection services as part of the restoration scope.
Council did not adopt a final contract at the meeting; staff said the award would be contingent on funder approvals and the council would revisit the scope differences.
