The city of Philomath received two bids for construction of its new water treatment plant ahead of the April 7 deadline, but City Manager Chris Workman told the City Council on Monday that additional vetting of the bidders is underway before a contractor is selected.
Workman said the city is asking both bidders to answer a questionnaire covering their qualifications and including details such as subcontractors, site superintendents and related background information — a step he described as standard due diligence given the scope and timeline of the project.
“Due to the timeliness that we’re getting up to and the size of the project in general, we’re asking the two bidders to qualify themselves essentially,” Workman said. “We’re giving them some additional questions about their ability and capacity to do the project.”
Workman noted the bid documents give the city the right to seek that additional information.
According to the agenda item summary prepared for the meeting, staff is working with the city engineer and city attorney to evaluate two general areas before awarding a contract — the qualifications of the general contractor and compliance with labor laws required by Business Oregon.
The project carries a unique labor compliance certification requirement tied to its use of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds with the city bearing direct liability if a selected contractor fails to meet those obligations.
Workman said he gave bidders one week to respond to the additional information request. He told the council the review and selection process would likely be completed before the council’s next meeting.
“We’ll be coming back to you with a recommendation from the city engineer to make a selection on the contractors,” he said. “Again, a lot more detail to come.”
No action was required Monday night from the council on the item.
