Dare County rejects lowest groin bid, awards contract to S.J. Hamill for about $8.6 million

The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted June 15 to reject the lowest bid for a groin construction project and to award the contract to the second‑low bidder, S.J. Hamill Construction, at an estimated cost of about $8.6 million.

County Manager told the board that the county had identified timing and performance concerns with the lowest bidder, TD Iury Marine Construction, and that both staff and the contractor agreed the bidder was not the responsible contractor for the project. "The reason for the rejection of the bid was the bidder's inability to timely perform the contract," the County Manager said for the record. The board approved a motion to reject the lowest bid (moved by Commissioner Ballance, seconded by Commissioner Burris); the chair called a voice vote and the motion passed.

Commissioner Ross moved to award the contract to S.J. Hamill Construction and to authorize execution of contract documents; Commissioner Ballance seconded the motion and the board voted in favor. The county manager said staff had vetted S.J. Hamill and found the firm larger and better able to mobilize earlier, which staff said would likely reduce the risk of the timing problems that affected the low bidder. Staff told the board they expect, weather permitting, that the contractor can complete the 450‑foot portion the bid requires by December because the firm plans to mobilize sooner.

The board also authorized the county manager to execute any necessary budget amendments to implement the award. Separately, the board approved a budget amendment to permit the county to pre‑audit and execute a previously approved multi‑year contract with Microsoft; staff said executing the Microsoft contract now would save about $96,000 over the contract term.

Board discussion included technical questions about construction methods and materials. Commissioners and staff discussed use of a trestle work method and placement of 17‑ton boulders; staff said bidders have sources for the required stone. A staff member described bid comparisons and said rebidding would likely have produced similar pricing but would have delayed the schedule by roughly two weeks or more.

The motions were moved and seconded on the record (reject low bidder: moved by Commissioner Ballance, seconded by Commissioner Burris; award to S.J. Hamill: moved by Commissioner Ross, seconded by Commissioner Ballance; budget amendment for execution: moved by Commissioner Burris, seconded by Commissioner Ballance) and carried on voice votes.

Next steps include execution of contract documents and any required budget amendments; staff said funding is available for the award and would be handled in the current fiscal year.