REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DENIX D. ANBIAH, PE, Director
Capital Projects Department
AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director
Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department
BY: FRANCISCO V. MAGOS II, PE, Assistant Director
Capital Projects Department, Utilities and On-Site Project Management Division
RAFAEL MACIAS, Engineer II
Capital Projects Department, Utilities and On-Site Project Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Reject all bids received for the Romain Learner Pool Project. (Bid File No. 12600072) (Council District 7)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council reject all bids received for the Romain Learner Pool Project (Project).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff recommends that the City Council reject all bids received for the Romain Learner Pool Project. The lowest responsive and responsible bid received was $1,583,440.00, which represented one-hundred fifteen percent (115%) above the engineer’s estimate, respectively. Upon rejection of the bids, staff will re-evaluate the design and scope of the Project to potentially re-bid the Project. Staff believes that the bids received are significantly higher than the industry standard and does not recommend awarding the construction contract.
BACKGROUND
The Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department (PARCS) intends to utilize Measure P Funds to rehabilitate the Romain Learner Pool site located at 745 North First Street. The scope of work for the Project included rehabilitating the existing learner pool with additional upgrades to the site including new pool equipment and equipment structure, new outdoor showers, two (2) trash receptacles, two (2) picnic tables, fencing and ADA compliant access gates, as well as ADA compliance improvements to the path of travel and outdoor restroom. Pursuant to these goals, the City entered into a Consultant Services Agreement with O’Dell Engineering dated January 31, 2024, for the design and preparation of construction documents for the Project.
The Notice Inviting Bids was advertised on PlanetBids on July 28, 2025, and posted on the City’s website. Five (5) building exchanges received the Notice Inviting Bids. The specifications were distributed to 36 prospective bidders. Two (2) sealed bid proposals were received and opened in a public bid opening on August 26, 2025, with bid amounts ranging from $1,583,440.00 to $1,750,452.58. Tricon Construction Inc. dba Tricon Aquatics of Rancho Cordova, California submitted a bid in the amount of $1,583,440.00 and was determined to be the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the Project.
Upon evaluation of the bids, it was determined that the lowest bid received surpassed the engineer’s estimate by one-hundred fifteen percent (115%). Because the bids received are significantly higher than the industry standard, Staff does not recommend awarding the construction contract. The Project aims to rehabilitate the existing site and pool surface. In an effort to reduce the construction costs, City Staff will re-evaluate the design and scope of the Project before re-advertising for construction. Contractors current work load, as well as the state of the existing pool structure, may have presented challenges, which limited the number of bidders. Additionally, the pool contractors may have been less interested in a rehabilitation project as compared to a new construction. Staff now recommends Council reject all bids received for the Project. If the project is re-advertised, Staff will provide additional information on the existing pool structure condition and offer an on-site pre-construction meeting to provide further clarification on the project’s needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15378, the rejection of bids does not qualify as a “project” as defined by the CEQA requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered as this is an action recommending the rejection of all bids.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Romain Learner Pool Project is in Council District 7 and will have no impact to the General Fund. The project was to be funded with Measure P, Bucket 1 allocations adopted in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
Attachments:
Formal Procurement Evaluation Form
Vicinity Map
Location Map