TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Rick Otto, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Award of Contract to Big Ben, Inc. for Annual Sewer Replacement/Maintenance, Fiscal Year 2020-2021; Bid No. 20-21.36
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2. Summary
Bids for the Annual Sewer Replacement/Maintenance Project, Fiscal Year 2020-2021, were received and opened on March 25, 2021. Nine bidders responded to the notice inviting bids. The apparent low bidder, Bonadiman Water Inc. of Riverside, California was deemed non-responsive, therefore staff is recommending to award the project to the second lowest bidder, Big Ben, Inc. of Irvine, California.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Reject the bid received from the apparent low bidder, Bonadiman Water, Inc., a California Corporation, on the basis that the bid was not responsive.
2. Award the contract to Big Ben, Inc. in the total amount of $1,218,240 representing an original bid amount of $1,015,200, plus a 20% contingency of $203,040, for Annual Sewer Replacement/Maintenance Fiscal Year 2020-2021 and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for this contract is $1,218,240 and will be funded in Sewer Line Maintenance/Replacement (15508) through Sewer Construction (520).
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
b: Provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
Goal 4: Provide outstanding public service
b: Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
6. Discussion and Background
The Annual Sewer Replacement/Maintenance Project, Fiscal Year 2020-2021, is designed to upgrade the City’s aging sewer infrastructure by replacing pipes that are structurally deficient, improving pipeline capacity and minimizing maintenance issues. This project will consist of sewer line maintenance, and replacement funded by Sewer Construction.
This project will replace/upsize approximately 3,210 linear feet of existing 6” diameter clay pipe with 8” pipe, and install cured-in-place-pipe lining on roughly 1,700 linear feet of existing pipe.
The City Council previously approved advertisement for bids on February 9, 2021. The bid solicitation was advertised on February 25, 2021 for a period of four weeks and bids were opened on March 25, 2021. Nine bids were received as follows:
1. Bonadiman Water Inc., Riverside $938,900
2. Big Ben Engineering, Irvine $1,015,200
3. Kordich Construction Inc., Cypress $1,053,560
4. Ramona Inc., Arcadia $1,427,970
5. PALP Inc., dba Excel Paving Co., Long Beach $1,582,931
6. Vasilj Inc., Irwindale $1,599,660
7. Colich and Sons L.P., Gardena $1,665,750
8. T.E. Roberts Inc., Orange $1,716,710
9. Grbcon Inc., Baldwin Park $1,983,737
Upon review of the bids received, staff determined that the apparent low bidder, Bonadiman Water, Inc., was not responsive to and did not conform in all material respects to the specifications contained in the City’s invitation for bids. Bonadiman Water, Inc. failed to meet the requirement for providing bid bond documentation and also failed to meet the City’s five-year minimum work experience requirement.
The second lowest bid in the amount of $1,015,200 was from Big Ben Inc., and is approximately 40% lower than the engineer’s estimate. Due to the favorable bid price, staff has tentatively identified additional sewer improvements at the Donneybrooke Street location. The additional estimated cost of these improvements of $127,800 is a component of the requested contingency, and would allow a remainder of $75,240 for other unanticipated costs.
Staff checked the references and qualifications for Big Ben, Inc. and found them to be acceptable, with adequate years of experience in completing contracts of similar size and scope to this project. Therefore, staff recommends that Big Ben, Inc., be awarded the contract in the amount of $1,218,240, representing an original amount of $1,015,200 plus a 20% contingency of $203,040 for the Annual Sewer Replacement/Maintenance Project, Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
The proposed sewer replacement is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA guidelines Section 15301 “Existing Facilities” Class 1 (b). The Notice of Exemption has been filed with the County Recorder’s Office on March 3, 2021.
Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2021 and is expected to be completed within 120 calendar days
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Location Maps
• Bid Abstract
• Contract with Big Ben, Inc.