Okay, this is the Board of Awards for Wednesday, April 1st, 2026, filling the meeting the order at 10 o'clock AM.

My name is Chip Polky and the purchasing agent.

We have with us an attendance today, Mr.

Tom Hughes, superintendent of construction services.

We have attorney Tracy Norris, Assistant Corporation Counsel.

We have Mr.

Tim Nolan, Superintendent of Public Services.

We have Mr.

Tom Balterman, engineer from our engineering department.

Stephen Talley, assistant purchasing agent, Mr.

Antonio Anderola, or City Engineerslash Public Works Director, and Ms.

Kara Punty, our assistant finance director.

Everybody, we've been asked, we're going to shift the items around.

We're going to put three and four to the top.

I don't think anybody had a problem with that.

So we'll start with uh bid number uh 1225.601.

That was the rehabilitation of bridge 04176, Kennedy Avenue over Still River.

This was a rebid.

And for the record, yes, this was a rebid, the initial bids I came in over budget engineering um to rework the scope uh to reduce uh to reduce the requirements.

Uh we issued this bid.

We got two bids.

The parallel bidder was New England infrastructure, assumation of $3 million $58,650.

And that was also over budget.

So I believe we want to reject both of these bids at this time.

That's correct.

Yeah.

Um, I just want to add to what Chuck said is even with the reduction in the scope and minimizing some of the requirements of the bid, actually, bids came in higher than the previous bids that had the scope in it.

Um, so we spent Tom and I spent a lot of times looking at the pay items, and we feel the best thing to do at this point is reject full fill those bids.

Okay, so motion is to reject all bids.

Not all in favor.

Tracy and receiving Antonio Rule in favor.

All right, motion carries unanimously corporation council.

Thank you, department.

Thank you.

Improvements to bridge 04176 Kennedy Avenue overstill river engineering.

Uh and for the record, we shouldn't roll and submitted a uh proposal from Hemlock Construction, which stated uh March 30, 2026.

Uh, this is to perform uh the subject work.

Uh the total proposed amount is 2,816,835.09 cents and Hemlock Construction uh proposed to do this work for their current capital region council of government's crack on call construction contract for roads and bridges.

That's correct.

Um I I just want to put on the record that uh uh Kennedy Avenue Bridge is the longest city-owned bridge in the entire city.

Um it was built in the 60s and was part of the 1955 flood mitigation.

It's actually built by the Army Corps, utilizes a very uh unique construction um uh types and structures, and it is deteriorating uh terribly.

And we are in urgent need of making these repairs.

If not, uh the bridge is either going to get um uh under uh uh reduction in capacity or it's gonna end up having to be closed because it's it's deteriorating.

So we did utilize the uh Gordian uh bid uh that you just made reference to and uh we did get a price back that is 240 some odd thousand dollars lower than the lowest bid that we just rejected.

So it seems to be in the best interest of the city to proceed this way.

And as you know, we've used the Gordian uh bid for a long time on multiple projects.

So uh so my recommendation is that we make the award to Hemlock through the um uh Gordian and the uh Crog bid that you just referenced.

And then contingent upon execution of an accessory.

Yes, we'll like contingent on execution of a contract.

Okay, seconded by Ms.

Trunche.

Any discussion?

See none, all in favor.

Antonio I vote in favor.

Correct, motion fairly generous.

You're all set.

Yeah, you're good.

Nothing aside.

Awesome.