Bids come in under estimate; staff recommends awarding Gerber Cleveland contracts with alternates

Facilities staff presented the bid tabulation for the Gerber Cleveland Elementary additions and recommended awarding five prime contracts (general, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, asbestos abatement) after deeming one apparent low general bidder incomplete.

The district's bid summary recommended EE Austin for the general construction contract (the previously lowest bidder was deemed incomplete), Rave for HVAC, Scobell for plumbing, Church & Murdoch for electrical and Canfield Development for asbestos abatement. With base bids and alternates recommended for acceptance, staff reported total construction contract amounts of roughly $23.29 million and an overall project total near $26.9 million with soft costs — about $1.4 million under the earlier estimate.

Staff recommended taking the base bid and all alternates to include items such as the parent loop and air conditioning; one presenter said, “We are making the recommendation that you take the base bid and all alternate bids.” Board members probed subcontractor lists, local presence of bidders, and the contractor outreach and responsible‑contracting certifications included in bid documents.

Director Horton raised concerns about minority and women participation among contractors and said he would not support awarding contracts unless the district could show stronger outreach and measurable inclusion efforts; staff responded that responsible contracting provisions and contractor certifications were included in the bid documents and would be enforced through initial job conferences and outreach tracking.

Staff said resolutions for the five prime contracts will be prepared for the next voting meeting; no award vote took place during the committee session.