City Council
MEETING DATE: 8/8/2018
TITLE:
Title
Reject the Bid for Construction of the Commons Heritage Park and Outdoor Amphitheater.
End
FROM:
John Corella, City Engineer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council reject the bid for the construction of Commons Heritage Park and Outdoor Amphitheater; and direct Staff to revise the Plans and Specifications for the Project and re-advertise for construction bids.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On January 2017, State Parks awarded Cathedral City a $1.4 million Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant for the Heritage Park Project, otherwise known as "The Commons". Some of the features in the design of this Park includes an outdoor amphitheater, children’s play area, walking paths, restroom/concession, landscaping, lighting, and fencing.
On June 14, 2017, City Council approved David Evans and Associates (DEA) to provide design and engineering services for the project. Chris Giannini, Vice President and Landscape Architect for DEA, is leading the design team. DEA hosted several design meetings both with City Staff and members of the community. DEA has created a park design that is appealing, vibrant and incorporates the park items and equipment required by the grant while meeting budget.
The design of the Project would provide interested contractors with a great opportunity to construct and add to their list of development projects.
DISCUSSION:
The Commons Heritage Park and Outdoor Amphitheater Project was publicly advertised for over twenty-one (21) days. An addendum was issued to extend the bid due date for an additional week to allow other interested contractors an opportunity to submit a competitive bid. Extending the bid deadline allowed the City to receive additional bids as only one contractor [at that time] showed interest.
On Monday, July 30, 2018, the City received only one bid. The bid is from Urban Habitat Environmental Landscape of La Quinta, California. The following is a comparison between the Engineer’s Estimate prepared by David Evans and Associates (DEA) dated May 8, 2018 and the bid submitted on behalf of Urban Habitat:
|
Bidder |
Bid Amount |
|
Engineer’s Estimate |
$2,432,277.06 |
|
Urban Habitat Environmental Landscape |
$3,486, 468.00 |
|
Difference |
$1,054,190.94 |
Since the City only received one bid and this bid far exceeds the Engineer’s Estimate, Staff is recommending that the City Council reject this bid and direct Staff to re-advertise the Project. City Staff would have liked to receive additional bids to get a clear picture of the current market conditions based on price comparison for each item.
The bid results for this Project may be attributed to a couple of factors. Based on the number of bidders and the bid amount proposed, there seems to be a lack of contractor interest for similar public works projects. The amount of construction activity in the Coachella Valley has recently increased and, therefore, contractors are not desperately seeking such projects. As a result, the amount of available and qualified bidders is currently limited.
City Staff will continue to work with DEA to revisit and review the Plans and Specifications for the Project to find some alternatives for repackaging and re-advertising this Project to attract additional bidders.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The recommended action will not have a fiscal impact on the project budget.
ATTACHMENTS:
Commons Heritage Park Tabulation