The first of two rounds of bids for the a $121 million courthouse and jail in Shawano County was well received by construction companies, and local officials are happy with the results.
“We got good bid coverage,” said Kurt Berner, of The Samuels Group, after he opened the bids Oct. 7. “We won’t know until we go through and verify the numbers of where we sit. That’s what we’re going to do over the next week. We’ll go through and qualify the bids. What that means is that we’re going to reach out to the bidders to make sure they have the scope that’s specified, make sure they don’t have any holes and make sure they’re compliant with the specifications.”
Unofficially, there were 22 bidders for 10 packages of work, as well as six bids for combining certain projects. All but two bidders were from Wisconsin, with several from Green Bay, De Pere and Appleton.
“The number of bidders I would say is exceptional,” said County Board Chairman Tom Kautza. “The dollar amount, I don’t have any figures to compare what Kurt has, but I don’t believe these numbers appear to be way out of line, but I’m not the expert.”
The $121 million project includes constructing and equipping a new courthouse, a secure connection to the existing jail, a vehicle sally port, jail intake and support areas and a new 150-bed inmate housing unit, as well as acquiring land and related furnishings, fixtures and equipment.
Berner will review the bids and make recommendations to the public property committee Oct. 15. The committee’s recommendations will be passed on the county board for final approval Oct. 28.
If the contracts are approved as expected, work could begin in November.
“It will take a while for us to get contracts in place, but the first step is we’ll start to work on is utility relocation … and then we’ll do some of the site work,” Berner said.
This first pack of bids was for the building’s shell and structure and some long lead time items.
The second bid pack will be let out before Thanksgiving with bids opened right after the first of the year. This will include projects such as roofing, windows and interiors.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
