Site Preparation and Paving Bids Due June 21

The Airport Authority is holding a special meeting on June 21 at 2 pm to open the bids for the site preparation and paving work at the new airport.

However, due to the complexity of the bids, it may be a few weeks before we know which bidder will be awarded the contract.

The companies were asked to supply a base bid for a specific scope or work, including land clearance, fencing and runway construction. They were also asked to bid on material costs for 18 variables, such as asphalt versus concrete runways.

Overall, the scope of work for the contract includes clearing and grading the airport site, fencing the property, building access and perimeter roads, preparing compacted pads for the terminal and the public safety building and building the airport’s two runways and taxi-ways.

As I understand it, the Airport Authority will be reviewing the base bids and the variable costs in an effort to find the best value for the project.

The bids are likely to be very complex, and I hope the local media will take the time to really understand the bids before reporting on them. It would be a disservice to all the work that has been done to date if the media coverage sacrificed a full and accurate analysis of the bids in a rush to grab a headline.

While I don’t know anything specific about any of the bids, I have heard the board expects to receive very competitive bids that are within the projected budget for the Scope of Work. Let’s hope that proves to be true.

The six bidders for the site preparation contract are: A-B Joint Venture, Archer Western Contractors, Hinkle Contracting Corporation, Odebrecht Construction Inc., Phoenix Construction Services, and C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc. Earlier this year each bidder passed a rigorous qualification process.