Bond sale delay requires contractors to be pre-qualified
again
Due to a delay, the state must re-bid the estimated $30 million
construction of a new San Benito County Courthouse, according to
the treasurer’s office.
Due to a delay, the state must re-bid the estimated $30 million construction of a new San Benito County Courthouse, according to the treasurer’s office.
The state recently announced the scheduled sale of lease-revenue bonds for mid-October to fund the construction in downtown Hollister, with the state public works board authorizing the sale Sept. 28. With the length of the delay in recent months, though, the state must re-bid the project.
According to the announcement from the state:
Kitchell Contractors will reopen the pre-qualification process period for contractors and suppliers from Oct. 7 through Oct. 24.
Contractors who pre-qualified previously must resubmit required forms, which will be available on the Kitchell website along with a summary of changes in the pre-qualification process. Kitchell has stressed it will continue to perform outreach to encourage participation by the widest possible pool of local contractors and suppliers.
As for timelines ahead to build the 41,500-square-foot building with three courtrooms, pre-qualification closes Oct. 24; subcontractor bidding is set for November or December; construction should start in early 2012; and it should be finished in fall of 2013, according to the state.
The original bond sale to finance the project was scheduled for late 2010, but was delayed by the state treasurer’s office until this month. The state’s judicial branch previously received a $350 million budget cut and lawmakers redirected another $310 million from court surcharges and filing fees that were supposed to help pay for 40 new courthouses.
It hasn’t caused any significant impacts to the scope of the project, and the county’s court executive officer, Gil Solorio, said the delay won’t change the $30 million budget, which is set in stone. He said the new bids will determine whether it is under budget, over budget or on track.
He said re-bidding the project will make the financial obligations more “up to date.”
“The rebidding is actually a function, or a result, of the delay caused by the bond sale,” Solorio said. “The bids couldn’t realistically be held for that length of a period.”
For information, go to hollistercourthouse.kitchell.com.
