The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) announced recently that Tempo Construction LLC was awarded contracts to work on two parks projects in Greenbrier County. The contracts are from a bid letting conducted on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Tempo Construction LLC was awarded a contract for $591,075.31 to build a hiking and biking trail and a pedestrian bridge across Howards Creek in White Sulphur Springs. The city of White Sulphur Springs was awarded a Transportation Alternatives grant through the WVDOH to fund the project.
Tempo Construction LLC was also awarded a contract for $143,250.50 to build an approximately 20-car gravel parking lot for the Greenbrier River Trail. The Greenbrier River Trail Association was awarded a Recreational Trails Program grant through the WVDOH to fund the project.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.
As the date and time approach the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed, and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on the recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results of that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder with all proper documentation in place.