Project Summary

The Gillette Avenue Improvements Project will include the complete reconstruction of the municipal infrastructure and the enhancement of streetscape on Gillette Avenue from north of First Street through Seventh Street.

The project includes the installation of approximately 20,000 square yards of Portland cement concrete roadway paving, 56,000 square feet of Portland cement concrete sidewalk, the installation of approximately 4,000 lineal feet of storm sewer ranging in size from 12 inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe to 12 feet by 4 feet reinforced concrete box culvert, and the complete replacement of the existing water distribution system with approximately 1,350 lineal feet of 8 inch water main and 2,000 lineal feet of 12 inch water main.

Additional items included in the reconstruction are new curb and gutter, handicap accessible parking with ADA ramps, new street lighting fixtures and accessories, new street signage, new corner and mid-block planters, irrigation, and landscape enhancements.  The water distribution system improvements will include extending 4 inch fire protection services to the front of each building and giving the business owners the option of extending the fire service into their structure during construction at their cost.  

The landscape architect designed 12 inch high decorative powder coated iron fencing for the top of the landscape planters.  The decorative fencing was bid as Bid Alternate #1 and #2. Bid Alternate 1 included decorative fencing for the mid-block planters and Bid Alternate #2 provided the decorative fencing for the corner nodes.

Contractors were prequalified to ensure interested bidders had experience in completing complex urban construction, proven ability to keep a critical path schedule, and adequate equipment to complete the Gillette Avenue Improvements project in a timely manner.

Five (5) contractors were prequalified to bid on the Gillette Avenue Improvements Project, of the five (5) pre-qualified bidders, three (3) submitted bids.  DRM, Inc. and North Star Energy and Construction chose to not submit bids as general contractors for this project.

Bid Opening

The bids were opened and read aloud at 2:00 p.m. on February 26, 2014 by the City of Gillette Purchasing Division.  Three (3) bids were received.  The results are as follows:

CONTRACTOR	BASE BID	ALT 1	ALT 2
S&S Builders	$7,372,815.41	$48,057.00	$25,930.50
Concrete Works of Colorado	$8,500,327.15	$228,250.00	$81,125.00
Interstate Highway Construction	$8,874,349.90	$68,910.90	$24,847.85
Engineer's Estimate	$6,592,012.50	$36,520.00	$12,980.00

The low bid was 11.8% higher than the Engineer's Estimate.  The Engineer's Estimate was based on local unit prices obtained from similar quantities and type of work.  Values from the upper-end of those unit prices were used due to the difficulty and tight scheduling of the Gillette Avenue Project.

The bid from S&S was significantly higher than the Engineer's Estimate in two (2) key areas, mobilization and underground utility work.  HDR contacted bidders and discovered that Mobilization costs were higher, to account for several risk factors in the project, including working in a highly public area, working adjacent to existing structures, and to compensate for scheduling concerns and potential disincentives.  HDR discovered that several underground subcontractors submitted pricing for the project, but prices were outside the typical range due to concerns about the aggressive schedule, and the difficulty of the project.

HDR has reviewed the project to identify any possible modifications that could produce a cost savings, but was unable to identify any feasible solutions to bring costs down without removing critical components of the project.

S&S Builders has been contacted and are comfortable with their bid.  They, and their proposed subcontractors, have successfully completed many City of Gillette projects.

The funding for this project is included in the Optional 1% Sales Tax Fund 201-10-05-419-70-47401. 

The City of Gillette has received a $1,000,000 Wyoming Business Council Grant to assist in funding of the streetscape/landscape improvements, sidewalks, handicap access ramps, and 4 inch fire service lines.

I move for the Approval of a Bid Award for the Base Bid and Alternates #1 and #2, of the Gillette Avenue Improvements Project to S&S Builders, LLC, in the Amount of $7,446,802.91.