ANNA MARIA – The City Commission rejected the latest single bid received to install new sidewalks along both sides of Pine Avenue on April 27.
The mayor and commissioners now hope to use state funds to enlarge the scope of the project in hopes of making it more attractive to more potential bidders.
C-Squared was the only company that submitted a bid proposal in response to the city’s latest revised request for proposals (RFP) for the Reimagining Pine Avenue safety improvement project that at some point is also expected to include new and improved crosswalks and new street lighting.
During a special city commission meeting on April 24, Mayor Dan Murphy provided the commissioners with confidential copies of C-Squared’s latest bid. C-Squared was also the only firm to submit bid proposals in response to the city’s previous two Reimagining Pine Avenue-related RFPs.
The initial phase of the Reimagining Pine Avenue project is primarily funded by a $1.28 state appropriation the city secured last year. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is overseeing the city’s use of the state funds.
According to Murphy, FDOT considered C-Squared’s previous bid too high. The latest RFP incorporated additional FDOT suggestions and pertained only to the installation of the sidewalks. City officials hoped the revised RFP would attract more bidders but it didn’t.
Bid rejected
During Thursday’s meeting, Murphy said the commission could accept the C-Squared bid and direct him to enter into fact-finding discussions and subsequent contract negotiations with the lone bidder; or reject the bid and eventually issue another revised RFP.
The previous C-Squared bid proposal received last July proposed a $1.09 million price to install the new brick paver sidewalks. Murphy said C-Squared’s latest bid was approximately 30% and $418,000 higher than the previous bid. Murphy said the increase could be partially due to the latest RFP requesting that crushed granite, rather than crushed concrete, be used as fill material for the drainage trenches to be installed beneath the new sidewalks. Murphy also noted labor costs have increased since the previous bid was received last year. As of Friday afternoon, copies of the rejected bid proposal had not yet been made available to the media.
Murphy said the relatively small scope of the project may not be enough to attract bidders interested in larger, more lucrative projects.
Murphy said the city anticipates receiving an additional $1.4 million state appropriation this year. This would allow the scope of the project to be expanded to include additional safety improvements along Magnolia Avenue, Spring Avenue and a portion of Gulf Drive.
“We’re on the cusp of getting another $1.4 million. We could expand this project to make it more appealing to more bidders. But then again, we could move forward with the project so we can get started right away,” Murphy said.
Commissioner Robert Kingan noted FDOT considered C-Squared’s previous bid to be too high and their latest bid is even higher. Kingan said he doesn’t like choosing from a single bid and he agreed that the project’s smaller scope might make it less attractive to bidders.
Commissioner Jon Crane expressed an opposing view.
“This is probably the most significant project we have on our books. The change of the look and feel and efficiency of Pine Avenue would be greatly improved. We’re not getting the interest and I don’t think we’re going to get any more interest. Now’s a good time to do this,” Crane said.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring said she doesn’t feel comfortable with just one bid or the increased cost proposed in C-Squared’s latest bid. She agreed that increasing the scope of the project might attract more bidders.
“It seems unbelievable that we could only get one local bidder on this project,” she said.
Commissioner Charlie Salem said he understood Crane’s position, but he thinks competition among multiple bidders would benefit the city. He also noted the labor market has recently cooled a bit.
During Monday’s meeting, Commission Chair Mark Short said the city still has plenty of time to complete the state-funded project.
During Thursday’s meeting, Short said, “We’re making progress but not we’re not where we thought we’d be when we started this two years ago. But the possibility of combining projects equals economy of scale. Certain things only have to be done once with a larger project versus twice for two projects.”
Kingan then made a motion to reject the RFP. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of doing so, with Crane voting in opposition.
