Agenda Item A.5
CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: March 18, 2025
____________________________________________________________
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
SUBMITTED BY: Luz “Nina” Buelna, Public Works Director
PREPARED BY: John Plummer, Principal Civil Engineer
David Anaya, Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: Mathilda Park Improvements Project – Reject All Bids and Authorize to Call for Bids
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Reject all bids and authorize to call for bids for the Mathilda Park Improvements Project.
BACKGROUND:
The Public Works Department solicited competitive bids per Municipal Code Section
3.05.210 for the Mathilda Park Improvements Project (Project). City Council authorized staff to advertise a notice inviting construction bids for the Project on November 7, 2023.
On December 2, 2024, bid documents were published to the PlanetBids portal and posted on the City’s bid opportunities webpage. In addition, a notice was published in the Santa Barbara Independent on November 21, 2024, and November 27, 2024, and a pre-bid meeting was held at the project site on December 16, 2024 . The bids were opened virtually via PlanetBids on December 30, 2024. The City received a total of two bids. A summary of the bids and the Engineer’s Estimate are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Bid Results
Engineer’s
Estimate
CSI Services Quincon, Inc
Bid Amount $449,495.00 $589,850.00 $613,884.26
The bid amounts were approximately 31% and 37% over the engineer's estimate, respectively. Public Works staff recommends rejecting all bids for the Mathilda Park Improvements Project and authorizing staff to call for new bids.
Meeting Date: March 18, 2025
DISCUSSION:
The scope of work for this project includes replacing the playground equipment, creating a defined turf space, using drought -tolerant plant materials, installing drains under the playground, and adjusting the walkway's alignment to meet the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines and requirements.
Public Works staff recommend that the City Council reject and rebid the Project. To reduce the project cost, Public Works will work with the design team to reduce and refine the scope and provide more clarity in the construction bid documents and specifications.
Public Works staff will also contact individual contractors to inform them of the call for bids to increase competition for the project.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The total estimated costs and funding sources associated with the Project are listed in Table 2 below.
Table 2 – Project Cost Estimated
Project Components Project Costs
Funding Source Funding
Amounts
Construction $449,495
General Fund $199,698
Construction Contingency $89,899 State Park Grant
(OGALS)
$177,952
Construction Management,
Inspection, Testing and
Monitoring
$120,190 Community
Development Grant
(CDBG)
$146,602
Staff Time $29,492 Unfunded $164,824
Total $689,076 Total $689,076
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may elect not to rebid the project. Doing so would postpone the project's construction indefinitely until additional funding can be dedicated to offset the deficit in grant funding.
LEGAL REVIEW BY: Isaac Rosen, Acting City Attorney
APPROVED BY: Robert Nisbet, City Manager