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was approximately 65% higher than the architect's estimate. There is $1.2 million in the FY 2017-18 CIP for this project ($940,000 Tess than the low bid). Bid Analysis Staff and the respective consultant architects for each project analyzed the bids as well as the plans and specifications to determine why the bids received were so much higher than the estimated costs. Staff also looked at other cities to determine if they were experiencing similar results when bidding projects. We found that generally for "heavy construction" (roadwork, bridges, underground pipelines, etc.), bids were coming in close to the estimated costs. But we also found that generally for "vertical construction" (buildings), bids were coming in higher than expected. While there is no way to know with certainty why this is occurring, it is theorized that it is due to the amount of building projects that are under construction in the current economy. Simply stated, there is a lot of work available to contractors which reduces competitive pricing. It is also theorized that the wildfires that occurred late last year, and the significant work associated with rebuilding structures destroyed by those wildfires, may also be contributing to the decrease in competitive pricing of vertical construction. In addition, the plans and specifications for these two projects that dictated the work be scheduled and accomplished to mitigate the impacts the construction would have on the use of the facilities. The plans and specifications were very prescriptive on how the work must be accomplished by the successful bidder. For example, the work in the locker rooms was specified to start almost immediately and to be phased so that there would be showers available to pool patrons at all times so the pools could remain open. While well intentioned, these prescriptive measures were not considered adequately in the cost estimates for the projects. Proposed Actions While both projects are very important, staff believes the DBAC project to be a higher priority compared to the SFH project, primarily due to the number of code related issues that the DBAC project will address compared to the SFH project. Staff intends to re - advertise the DBAC project as soon as possible, with the goal of allowing work to start at the end of summer 2018, immediately after Labor Day. We will have a six week bid period and will use that time to solicit as much interest in the project as possible. In addition, staff also believes that if we bid now for work to occur in the fall, bids may be better if a contractor is "lining up" their future work. We will also look at allowing the contractor full control of the project site during construction, giving them a specified length of construction, but not dictating their exact schedule to the degree of the previous documents. This may mean that Aquatic Center will be closed while the necessary shower and locker room facilities are under construction. The following is an outline of the proposed schedule for the DBAC project: Re -advertise for Construction Bid Bid Opening City Council Award of Construction Contract Start of Construction End of Construction Page 3 of 4 March 12, 2018 April 25, 2018 May 15, 2018 October 2018 February 2019