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Panel OKs low bid on widening project

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: November 11, 2009

TAMPA - Hillsborough County commissioners agreed Nov. 4 to award the first phase of the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard widening project to a company that submitted a bid $31 million less than the county's estimated cost.

By a 4-3 vote, the commission approved a $40.5 million bid by Kamminga & Roodvoets Inc. of Tampa to widen Bruce B. Downs Boulevard from Palm Springs Boulevard to Pebble Creek Drive. The company, which is also known as K&R, submitted the lowest of eight bids for the job.

K&R's low bid drew a protest from Pepper Contracting Services of Clearwater, the second-lowest bidder. The commissioners rejected the protest after a lengthy discussion.

Pepper's representatives suggested K&R had submitted a bid that they referred to as "unbalanced," which would likely require the company to seek more money from the county after construction begins. They also accused K&R of failing to meet county guidelines for minority participation.

"I've been in this business for 30 years," said Doug Ebbers of Pepper Contracting. "We don't do them (bid protests) willy-nilly. These discrepancies go beyond that.

He cautioned the board on how their decision might be interpreted in the road construction business.

"The message to our industry is, it doesn't matter," Ebbers said, referring to the county's minority participation guidelines. "It will have an impact on bids going forward."

Todd Pressman, a lobbyist representing Pepper Contracting, questioned whether K&R had submitted a complex bid the county might later come to regret approving. He petitioned the board to hold a public hearing to give his client and other interested parties a chance to air concerns.

Commissioner Rose Ferlita disagreed, saying she thought the process had been fair. Commissioners Ken Hagan and Mark Sharpe joined Ferlita to oppose the need for a public hearing.

Ferlita said she spoke to county staff and Pepper representatives about the bids and came away convinced K&R had put together an attractive bid with safety measures benefiting the county.

"Our process does matter; our procedures matter," Ferlita said.

"We have done the process. We have followed it. ... It just didn't work to your benefit this time."

A substitute motion offered by Commissioner Al Higginbotham to send the matter back for further staff review failed 5-2. Higginbotham and Commissioner Kevin White voted to support it.
Pressman told the board K&R's bid included provisions for 2.8 percent minority participation, far below the county's goal of 13 percent.

White said he was concerned about the potential lack of minority participation and asked the county staff to look into the matter.

Hillsborough County Public Works Director Bob Gordon told the board his department was satisfied with K&R's bid and confident it would abide by the contract, which would result in a major cost savings for the county.

The county's original engineer estimated the first leg of the Bruce B. Downs widening would cost as much as $72 million.

Ferlita's motion to approve awarding the contract to K&R was supported by Hagan, Sharpe and Commissioner Jim Norman. Higginbotham, White and Commissioner Kevin Beckner cast the dissenting votes.

Thousands of drivers from north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties hop on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard for their daily commute only to find gridlock in New Tampa. About 60,000 vehicles a day travel that section of Bruce B. Downs.

Preliminary work on the first phase of the eight-lane widening will start within weeks, with construction scheduled to begin early next year.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 259-7413.

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