The city of Columbus has chosen Milestone Contractors of Columbus to complete Phase One of its overlay work.
On Tuesday, Columbus Board of Works members voted not only to approve the contract with Milestone but also to reject a bid from the apparent low bidder, D.C. Construction Services Inc. of Indianapolis.
D.C. Construction’s bid was for $1,380,162, while Milestone offered to do the work for $1,527,725. However, while D.C. Construction’s bid was lower by about $147,000, the city had some concerns about the bid.
“We were hearing a lot of concerns from other communities that might not be interested in working with them again in some cases,” said Executive Director of Public Works and City Engineer Dave Hayward. “In one case, the county that I talked with said they would work with them again, but they would give them a C or C+.”
After discussing these concerns with the head of the company, Hayward said he received an email from D.C. Construction recommending that the city should reject their bid and go with another company. After further communication, the company requested to withdraw its bid.
The board voted to reject D.C. Construction’s bid on the grounds that it was “not a responsible bidder” and also because of the company’s request to withdraw.
