Poplar Bluff City Council members are expected to award a contract Jan. 19 to one of seven bidders for construction of a new police department.
Bids range from approximately $9.3 million from Boulder Construction of Cape Girardeau to $8 million from Brockmiller Construction of Farmington, according to documents presented Monday to the council.
The construction budget for the police department is just over $8.3 million, City Manager Matt Winters said.
Winters, members of the police department, and representatives from the architects and the city’s consulting firm, met with the three lowest bidders, Winters said.
“Two low bidders came in below what the budget was expected to be,” he explained. “The other five contractors came in over.”
Other base bids received included (figures approximate): Zoellner Construction, $8.3 million; Patriot, $8.5 million; Robertson Contractors, $8.6 million; Wright Construction Services, $8.7 million; and Hankins Construction, $8.9 million.
Contractors were also asked to include nine possible alternatives: adding a connection to PP Highway; adding a west drive connected to Shelby Road; expansion of a visitor parking lot; changes to surfacing for parking lots; an irrigation system; removal of sunshades from windows; revised curb details; and addition of site fencing. A ninth alternative would combine the two additional entrances for the site, from PP and Shelby, and the expansion of the visitors lot into one alternative bid.
The Brockmiller bid would still come in more than $200,000 below the construction budget with two alternates — the reduction from removing the sunshades, and an approximately $111,000 addition from bid alternative nine.
The three low bidders also provided information concerning the percentage of local subcontractors that would be used on the project, with Brockmiller being 13%.
All three firms have experience in working with 911 call centers and have committed to signing the draft contract, Winters said.
If the project is awarded to a contractor Jan. 19, the city is expected to finalize the contract with the selected bidder by Jan. 26.
It would close Feb. 26 on financing of $11.6 million for the project.
Brockmiller and Zoellner have proposed construction time frames of 520 and 540 days, respectively. Patriot, the third lowest bidder, has proposed 384 days.
Council member Lisa Parson thanked Winters for the effort that has gone into bringing the project to this point.
Winters said it was a team effort with Chief Danny Whiteley and Deputy Chief Mike McClain spending many hours with architects and consultants.