Summary:
On July 12, 2021 Council awarded a contract to Southern Road & Bridge, LLC in the amount of $162,500.00 for Solicitation No. 21-B-07 for the “FY 2021 Bridge Maintenance Repair Project” and work is currently underway. During development of the bid documents, the City’s engineering consultant, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (“GPI”), relied upon the best available data which includes recent biannual FDOT Inspection Reports. As necessary to form a basis of bid, GPI identified an estimated volume of material necessary to fill soil voids under and behind the bridge abutment walls.
On September 12, 2021 while prepping for the project the contractor identified work that was necessary to complete the job that was not included in the FDOT inspection report, thus not part of the original bid. This included concrete repair of one of the abutments and cleaning and sealing both bridge decks to avoid future water infiltration. Staff authorized this work and $5,934.52 expenditure, which has been paid.
On September 14, 2021 the contractor began foam injection on the south abutment wall of the SW 1st Ct. bridge and the volume of material used to complete just 2/3 of the length of the wall exceeded the total project bid quantity resulting in a $6,000.00 cost overrun. As demonstrated through the 2018 Sanitary Lift Station #1 soil stabilization project, even with the benefit of extensive geotechnical investigations, Crystal River’s karst geology can prove challenging to engineers and contractors alike.
This request seeks approval and affirmation of a Staff decision to authorize an emergency purchase for additional injection foam due to safety concerns. Procedurally, Section 5.D of the City’s Purchasing Policy allows the City Manager to authorize emergency construction-related purchases when there exists a threat to public health, welfare, or safety upon notification from the Department Head. On September 21, 2021 the Public Works Director emailed the City Manager a recommendation to approve an emergency purchase for additional foam due to safety concerns as soil voids under bridge abutment walls have the potential to compromise structural integrity. The request included detailed justification and the City Manager promptly approved the emergency purchase duly notifying the Finance Director. The Purchasing Policy requires Council approval of all emergency purchases exceeding $10,000.00 and Staff is required to bring forth such request as soon as practical. Consequently, Staff seeks affirmation of Staff’s decision and approval for this emergency purchase.
Expanding soil stabilization foam consists of two parts --- Part A and Part B --- which come in kits of 55-gallon drums. The two parts are mixed and then injected into the soil using compressed air. Staff has negotiated with the Contractor and the agreed upon unit price for additional foam is $95.47 per cubic foot (“CF”). Consultant engineer GPI has deemed this as a reasonable price in the current market conditions and recommends proceeding with the additional work. The emergency purchase request (in lieu of a competitive procurement process) is further justified by the fact the Contractor is already under contract and mobilized, and any attempt to solicit other bids can be expected to be fruitless and the resultant delay would jeopardize the timing requirement to complete all in-water work by the November 15, 2021 manatee season deadline.
Each kit yields an estimated 176 CF which works out to be $16,802.72 per kit. Although the exact quantity of additional foam needed cannot be definitively ascertained, based on visual inspection, GPI anticipates the need for three (3) additional kits for a total of $50,408.16 Change Order No. 1 reflects a net contract increase of $56,408.16 which includes the aforementioned $6,000.00 overrun. The recommended motion also seeks approval for an additional expenditure of up to $34,000.00 which would allow Staff to administratively authorize a Change Order to allow for up to two (2) more kits in case more foam is necessary or other unforeseen circumstances arise. With all costs combined, the project is still within the original project budget as it appears in the FY 21 budget.