Twain Harte contractor loses water bid

A Twain Harte contractor came in a close second but will not be awarded a contract of nearly $400,000 for a water treatment plant project in the Ebbetts Pass area.

The Calaveras County Water District board awarded the contract for the Ebbetts Pass Hunters Water Treatment Plant Surge Tank Project to low bidder Paso Robles Tank in a 5-0 vote Wednesday.
  

The Paso Robles company beat out Twain Harte Construction by less than $5,000. The winning bid came in at $393,437, compared to the Tuolumne County company’s $398,141.

Director Jeff Davidson lamented the board’s inability to spend the minimal added amount to award the contract to a local company. There is no accommodation within board policy for favoring local companies.

Director Ed Rich pointed out that it can be put in place as a 5 percent consideration in the awarding of bids.

However, as the surge tank project has gone out to bid, CCWD staffers advised the board they would likely be legally challenged if they were to award the project to a higher bidder.

“I think we need to take another look at this policy,” Davidson said. “All it would require is one more sheet on the bid sheet” to add a buy-local consideration.

Director Bob Dean agreed and expressed desire for the matter to be addressed soon by the board.

In other business, the board voted to indefinitely table action on approving a terms and conditions agreement for the Inter-Regional Conjunctive Use Project on the Mokelumne River Watershed.

Controversial projects such as the raising of Pardee Dam have been discussed as a potential part of the conjunctive use project.