Lewes’ Bay Avenue bids hit a snag

A bid totaling $1.85 million for a new waterline beneath Lewes’ Bay Avenue and street surfacing is in limbo while city officials review protests to the bid award.

The bid was awarded to Dover-based George & Lynch at a Feb. 16 meeting at City Hall. Lewes Board of Public Works approved the award, but Lewes Mayor and City Council have not.

David A. Bramble Inc. of Chestertown, Md., and Dover-based Teal Construction Inc. have filed protests stating they submitted lowest bids for each job but they were not awarded contracts.

Engineering firm George Miles and Buhr evaluated bids submitted by George & Lynch, Bunting & Murray Construction Co., David A. Bramble Inc., Mumford & Miller Concrete, Retallack & Son and Teal. The engineering firm’s evaluation fee was $90,000.

Companies could bid on the waterline or the paving contracts; they could also submit a combined bid for both jobs.

George & Lynch and Mumford & Miller each submitted three bids.

Paul Bramble, vice president, of David A. Bramble Inc., said the bid request is flawed in that it unnecessarily asks for three separate bids – one for waterline installation, one for paving and one combining both.

Bramble contends his company’s combined bid is lowest.

“If they wanted one company to do the job, why didn’t they just ask for one bid?” Bramble said in a Feb. 27 interview. “I want the job,” he said.

Protests under review

Darrin Gordon, BPW general manager, March 8, said the protests could be resolved next week.

“George & Lynch, David Bramble and Teal have been very understanding,” Gordon said.

Lewes Mayor Jim Ford said he thinks reviewing the protests will result in a positive outcome for the city.

“We’re trying to address it as rapidly as we can,” Ford said. Mayor and City Council’s regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m., Monday, March 12. Ford said although the protest matter is not on the meeting agenda, the panel could discuss it. He said there are several possible courses of action, including having George & Lynch start work on the job as bid, negotiate a split of the contract, or delaying all work until fall.

“My personal opinion is we should march on,” Ford said. He said if work is delayed because of failure to resolve the protests, the targeted June completion of the project could be pushed into late summer.

The BPW, city, consulting engineers and companies already working on the project have made completion before busy summer months a priority.

At an estimated cost of  $3 million, the joint BPW-city reconstruction of Bay Avenue is the most extensive and most expensive, street project ever undertaken in the city.

Sanitary sewer line replacement began Feb. 20 and is complete, Gordon said.

Cured-in-place technology has been used to replace the main sewer line, eliminating needing to cut an open-trench into the street.

Using cured-in-place, a fiberglass sock is inserted into the existing sewer line and the sock is pressurized using water or steam. The fiberglass is cured forming a tight fitting, seamless and corrosion-resistant line. Cured-in-place pipe adds 50 years to sewer line lifespan. “We’re very happy with the result,” Gordon said.

He said more than half of the sewer line laterals – pipes branching into the main sewer line – have been installed. Lateral work started the end of January and should be complete before the end of this month, Gordon said.

The old waterline is being left in place and installation of the new line is scheduled to begin this month.

Street resurfacing is scheduled to be complete under a 90-day contract. If the schedule holds, most Bay Avenue reconstruction work could be finished on schedule.