The Bartlesville City Council voted Tuesday to reject a bid for the Sooner Pool Expansion Project after the lone bid came in nearly half a million dollars over budget.
A discretionary project approved by voters in the 2013 Half-cent Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Sales Tax Extension Election, the first phase of the expansion project consists of a new 45-foot tall slide complex with three slides, three large group shelters, an additional concrete deck and a separate mechanical room with equipment for the new slides.
The council approved $2,550,000 for the project as part of the 2020-21 Fiscal Year CIP Budget, along with $300,000 to resurface the existing swimming pool, bringing the total budget to $2,850,000.
Only one bid was submitted for the work, Rick Scott Construction of Tulsa, in the amount of $3,212,831, which is $462,831 over the available budget, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers told the council Tuesday.
Siemers said the council had awarded a contract to Kimley-Horn for the design and master planning for the project in October 2020, and that the design and subsequent bid was structured to include a base bid for the main components of the new pool amenities, including slides, a concrete deck, mechanical enclosure and pumps.
“Also included in the design and bid were add alternates for a new parking lot, stone boulders under the slides in lieu of sod for maintenance purposes, landscaping for the parking lot, and irrigation for the landscaping,” Siemers said, noting that funds for the parking lot are available through the 2020 General Obligation Bond that was approved by voters last August. “The parking lot add alternates were included so the work could possibly be added in the overall renovation project once funds become available later this calendar year.”
The numbers for the add alternate bid items are higher than anticipated as well, Siemers said.
“The design consultant, Kimley-Horn, has revisited their numbers and still feel confident that some of the items are abnormally high,” Siemers said. “We believe that some of this is likely due to the fact there was only one bidder on the project and the swimming pool subcontractor was likely aware that there were no other bidders and may have been very conservative with their bid prices.”
Siemers recommended the bid be rejected, saying staff will work with Rick Scott Construction and Kimley-Horn staff to identify where the bid can be restructured to gain savings.
“We will also commit to reaching out to more contractors to hopefully get more interest in the project, thus making the bids more competitive,” he said.
Siemers said $255,000 has been spent on design and future construction services with Kimley-Horn.
“Since this project overlaps multiple fiscal years, council approved a budget for FY 21-22 of $2,450,000 for the expansion project and we still have the $300,000 for the rehabilitation of the existing lap pool, for a total available budget of $2,750,000 for construction,” he said.
The council voted 5-0 to reject the bid. The project was slated to get underway this fall and completion was targeted for spring/summer 2022. Siemers said the setback could result in a delay in construction.