REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
July 16, 2020
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
THROUGH: RANDALL W. MORRISON, PE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
BY: SCOTT P. SEHM, PE, Public Works Manager
Public Works Department, Design Services Section
SUBJECT
Title
Reject all bids for the Ashlan Avenue Sidewalks from Effie Street to State Route 41 - Bid File No. 3719 (Council District 7)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council reject all bids for the Ashlan Avenue Sidewalks from Effie Street to State Route 41 and direct staff to rebid the project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ashlan Avenue, between Effie Street and State Route 41, is missing concrete sidewalk on both sides of Ashlan Avenue. This proposed project will fill in the missing sidewalk and reconstruct the drive approaches to provide a continuous sidewalk path along both sides of Ashlan Avenue, as well as upgrade the existing pedestrian crossing at the southbound SR41 ramps to include audible pedestrian pushbuttons. One curb ramp within the project limits will be upgraded to conform to current accessibility standards. This sidewalk construction project is funded with a Federal Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant .
The bids received ranged from $318,560.00 to $327,292.00 and the low bidder is 40% over the Engineer’s Estimate of $192,000.00 and exceed the project’s FY21 construction budget. In addition, one of the two bidders failed to submit the proper documentation and was subsequently deemed non-responsive by the Purchasing Department. Staff recommends that Council reject all bids and direct staff to rebid the project.
BACKGROUND
The design phase of this project was initiated in FY2019 and the construction phase was budgeted in the Council-adopted FY2020 Capital Budget. Department of Public Works staff designed the project, which took approximately 12 months to complete.
The scope of work for the Ashlan Avenue Sidewalks Project includes, constructing curb, gutter, sidewalk, drive approaches, minor on-site driveway reconstruction, minor landscaping restoration, and curb ramp construction. The project includes improvements on both sides of Ashlan Avenue to fill in the missing sidewalk gaps. This project also includes installation of an Accessible Pedestrian Signal system (APS) at the existing traffic signal at Ashlan Avenue and State Route 41 on and off ramps.
Staff prepared a Notice Inviting Bids, which was published in the Fresno Business Journal on April 1, 2020, posted on the City’s website, and faxed to eleven (11) building exchanges. Project plans and specifications were distributed to twelve (12) prospective bidders. Two (2) sealed bid proposals were received and opened in a public bid opening on May 5, 2020, with bids ranging from $318,560.00 to $327,292. All bids received were over the project’s budget and no other funds can be utilized to fund this project.
Staff evaluated the bids and concluded that due to the abundance of available large construction projects at bid time and the relatively low dollar value of this work, this small construction project did not find adequate interest for many typical concrete contractors. Also, with the current COVID-19 pandemic and “shelter-at-home” policies and guidelines that are in effect in the state of California, many bidders have raised their bid amounts due to uncertainty. To ensure a successful rebid, staff will re-evaluate the project’s scope to eliminate or value-engineer design elements to help reduce the project costs. Also, by rebidding the project in the Fall of this year, potential bidders will have had more time to understand the impacts that COVID issues have had on their costs and their bids should be reflective of the pricing we saw prior to the pandemic and within the adopted project budget. Staff is recommending that the Council reject all bids for the Ashlan Avenue Sidewalks Project from Effie Street to State Route 41 and direct staff to rebid the project.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15378, the rejection of all bids does not qualify as a “project” as defined by the CEQA requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this item is the rejection of all bids received.
FISCAL IMPACT
A rejection of all bids will incur additional staff costs in order to rebid the project; the adopted project budget has sufficient funding to cover these additional costs. There will be no impact to the General Fund. The project is fully funded with a Federal Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant and Local Transportation Pedestrian and Bicycle funds as the required match.
Attachments
Bid Evaluation
Vicinity Map