REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL August 20, 2020 FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department THROUGH: RANDALL W. MORRISON, PE, Assistant Director Public Works Department, Engineering Division BY: SCOTT P. SEHM, PE, Public Works Manager Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Design Services SUBJECT ..Title Reject all bids for the Downtown Fresno Courthouse Park Interconnectivity Project - Bid File No. 3741 (Council District 3) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council reject all bids for the Downtown Fresno Courthouse Park Interconnectivity Project and direct staff to rebid the project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed Courthouse Park Interconnectivity Project will improve pedestrian safety as well as provide enhancements for Fresno Area Express (FAX) access by installing new traffic signals at the existing unsignalized crosswalks at Fresno Street and L Street and Tulare Street and L Street. Additional pedestrian improvements at the two intersections include the reconstruction of several accessible ramps, updated striping and signage and improved safety lighting. Funding for this project is provided by the State of California Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant with local match funding. BACKGROUND The Courthouse Park Interconnectivity Project was initiated in FY19 when the project was budgeted once the ATP grant was awarded. The preliminary engineering design and project management took approximately two years. The scope of the project includes the installation of new traffic signals at existing unsignalized crosswalks at Fresno Street and L Street and Tulare Street and L Street that will include exclusive pedestrian crossing phases, an exclusive FAX transit phase along Fresno Street at L Street for busses to safely enter and exit the bus stop, and signing and striping to guide all pedestrian, vehicle, and bus traffic within the limits of the project. Other work includes reconstruction of accessible ramps at both intersections and construction of a bulb-out at the northwest corner of Fresno Street and L Street. No Right of Way acquisition was needed at either location. Public Works Department staff prepared all the construction documents for the project. A Notice Inviting Bids was published in the Fresno Business Journal on March 16, 2020, posted on the City's website and faxed to ten building exchanges. The specifications were distributed to 18 prospective bidders. Two sealed bid proposals were received and opened in a public bid opening on April 28, 2020. Bids ranged from $861,005 to $1,036,712. Audeamus Inc., dba Sebastian submitted the apparent low bid in the amount $861,005 and was determined to be the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the project. The bids have expired as of July 1, 2020. The City Attorney's Office has reviewed and approved as to form. Staff evaluated all bid submissions and has concluded that bids received for this project are not only significantly higher than anticipated, they do not fall in line with past bids for similar projects. Public Works has recently put a number of traffic signal projects out to bid, all of which came in higher than anticipated, most likely due to conditions surrounding the COVID pandemic and shelter-in-place; this project, at approximately 31% more than the latest engineer's estimate, is abnormally high among the group. To obtain a successful bid, staff will reevaluate the construction scope, industry conditions and contract requirements to ensure a successful rebid. Staff recommends that Council reject all bids and direct staff to rebid the project. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15378, the rejection of all bids does not qualify as a "project" as defined by the CEQA requirements. LOCAL PREFERENCE The local preference was not implemented because this action is to reject all bids. FISCAL IMPACT A rejection of all bids will result in additional staff costs to rebid the project. The adopted project budget has sufficient funding to cover the additional staff costs in order to rebid the project. There will be no impact to the General Fund. Attachments: Vicinity Map Bid Evaluation