Bountiful awards unit-price waterline contract to Ralph Excavating; staff outlines resident impacts

The Bountiful City Council on April 28 awarded the 2026 waterline replacement contract to Ralph Excavating using the contractor's submitted unit prices. Public Works staff said the contract covers several replacement projects this summer and may include additional short extensions for a new hotel and a small subdivision; the contract uses unit pricing because payments and quantities vary by footage and equipment counts.

Staff described typical construction impacts for residents: notices via flyer and social media for planned shutdowns, coordination when driveways are blocked, and contingency plans for unplanned outages. Performance expectations cited in the presentation included installation rates (roughly 200 feet per day on residential streets where utilities permit) and contractor obligations to be courteous to residents. The contract documents also include mechanisms for evaluating change requests if material prices shift during construction; staff said they typically manage such adjustments administratively and that the work must remain within the adopted project budget.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the timing and resident impacts; staff emphasized 24-hour notice for planned shutdowns when feasible and proactive communication efforts. The motion to award the work at the listed unit prices passed unanimously.

The contract award follows staff review of ten bids and references vendor checks with other local municipal contacts; staff said the low bids improved project affordability compared with recent years. Council asked staff to ensure residents are notified in advance when a shutdown is necessary and to keep the council apprised of any significant change-order requests that could affect the budget.