City of Bellingham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham's Public Works and Natural Resources Committee met on December 9, 2024, chaired by Council Member Hannah Stone, with members Lisa Anderson and Michael Lilliquist. The committee considered one item: a contract award to S&S Concrete Construction for on-call Portland cement concrete repair services through an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. ### Key Terms and Concepts **IDIQ Contract:** An "Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity" contract that allows the city to call on a contractor for specific types of work as needed, without guaranteeing any minimum amount of work. **Not-to-Exceed Contract:** A contract with a maximum spending limit ($3.6 million over four years) but no guarantee that the full amount will be spent. **Work Orders:** Individual project assignments issued under the main contract for specific repair jobs like fixing water main breaks or sidewalk repairs. **Unit Pricing:** Contractors bid on specific per-unit costs (like cost per square yard of concrete or per linear foot of curbing) rather than total project costs. **Apprentice Utilization Requirements:** City policy requiring contractors on projects over $1 million to employ apprentices as part of workforce development goals. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hannah Stone | Committee Chair, First Ward Council Member | | Lisa Anderson | Committee Member, Fifth Ward Council Member | | Michael Lilliquist | Committee Member, Sixth Ward Council Member | | Mike Olinger | Interim Public Works Co-Director | ### Background Context Cities need reliable contractors for emergency concrete repairs like water main breaks, sewer line failures, and sidewalk hazards that create public safety risks. Rather than bidding each individual repair separately (which would be time-consuming and expensive), Bellingham uses IDIQ contracts to have pre-approved contractors ready to respond quickly. The city has historically spent between $600,000 and $1.4 million annually on these types of concrete repairs, with last year being one of the highest spending years on record. This contract ensures the city can maintain critical infrastructure without delays when emergency repairs are needed. ### What Happened — The Short Version The committee approved awarding a four-year contract to S&S Concrete Construction, a local Bellingham company, for on-call concrete repair services. Two companies bid on the work, with S&S offering the lowest price based on a hypothetical work order totaling $1,279,812.10. However, this dollar figure is just for bid comparison purposes — the actual contract allows up to $3.6 million in work over four years, but there's no guarantee any specific amount will be spent. The contractor must honor their unit prices (like cost per square yard of concrete), and the city will issue individual work orders as repairs are needed. Committee members asked detailed questions about how the contract works and unanimously approved the award. ### What to Watch Next • The contract award will go before the full City Council that evening for final approval • Staff will monitor spending closely, and if the $3.6 million limit is reached before four years, they'll need to rebid the contract • Individual work orders will be issued throughout the contract period as infrastructure repair needs arise ---