HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 06-23 Conway bid approved THE REVIEW Conway bid
approved
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by Kamy Ide
Bids for a$1 million project on im-
provements to Conway avenue were a-
warded to the C.S.McCrossan Company
by the Maplewood city council at its
Thursday,June 17 session.But that action
came only after some debate with a
contractor who had submitted a lower
bid,but not all the required documents.
The council awarded the bid to
McCrossan,whose bid was roughly$6,000
higher than a bid from the Bi-Tu-Mix Co.
However, the Bi-Tu-Mix firm did not
provide several documents,including a
record of firms with which it had
previously done business,with the sealed
bid.Those documents were given the city
on June 11,after the city found the items
missing when bids were opened June 8.
A citizen at the session asked the
council if the dispute between the council
and a lawyer from Bi-Tu-Mix was over
"a matter of principle."He said he did
not want principle to cost the city
an additional$50,000.
However,Mayor Robert Bruton pointed
out that the difference was only$6,000
between the two bids and that he felt the
bid should go to the"lowest,responsible
bidder."
Councilman Burton Murdock agreed,
saying,"It's not fair.Some people submit
responsible bids,and then we're supposed
to wait for someone else to go shake up
their drawers to get all their papers."
Murdock,a plumber,said when he sub-
mits bids, "I figure if I don't have
something I'm supposed to have it's my
tough luck.I blew it."
Legal counsel advised the city that the
low bid could be thrown out if the papers
not received were included in
specifications. "An incomplete bid can
normally be thrown out,"he said.
The council awarded the bid to
McCrossan on a 4-1 vote,with councilman
John Greavu casting the opposing vote.
He said"money is involved here.I don't
think we have enough ground to stand
on."
The Bi-Tu-Mix bid was$1,007,958 and
McCrossan's bid was$1,013,595.Six bids,
the highest being$1,098,000, were sub-
mitted.
State aid in the street improvement
project is$30,000.