Bid for landfill covering is $75,000 below estimate years ago
Staff reporter
Six contract bids were opened Monday during Marion County Commission meeting for dirt work to fill and cover the former county landfill.
Jack Chappelle of Engineering Solutions & Design, Inc. of Overland Park, and engineer for the project, opened the sealed bids.
Unruh Excavating of Moundridge had the low bid of $165,100. The engineer's estimate was $241,875.
Other bidders and amounts were Jayhawk Contractors, Inc., of Wichita, $185,565; Bob Bergkamp Construction, Inc., Wichita, $193,475; Malm Construction, Lindsborg, $207,407; Mies Construction, Wichita, $236,700; and Pearson Excavating, Inc., Wichita, $268,500.
The winning bid will be reviewed by Chappelle. When the bid is approved, the contractor will be required to submit bond documents. When the bond documents are received, a contract will be issued between the county and the construction company which the commission also will sign. It was anticipated the contract will be ready for signatures at the Dec. 31 commission meeting.
Prior to the opening of the submitted bids, commission chairman Leroy Wetta acknowledged a letter from Kansas Department of Health and Environment regarding testing of top soil during the excavation and compacting process.
The original bid document required the construction contractor be responsible for contracting a firm to provide the testing. In the KDHE letter, KDHE wanted the county to contract an independent testing firm.
Chappelle said it would require a change order with the contractor and would not affect the bids.
Mike Unruh of Unruh Excavating asked Chappelle and the commission when construction could begin. He said he would prefer as soon as possible before the ground freezes or in March.
Chappelle responded the start date would be dependent on what KDHE preferred.
Unruh stated he would be willing to deduct the $10,000 line item amount from his bid for testing if his crew could start construction "right away."
Chappelle estimated testing would cost the county between $7,000 and $12,000. He told Unruh the earliest construction could begin would be the second or third week of January if bond and contract documents are received in a timely manner.
