Dane County Executive Joe Parisi is asking the Dane County Board to reopen bidding for the jail consolidation project after the sole bid from Miron Construction came in $27.6 million over the project’s budget, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
Parisi proposed a 90-day bidding period that would see the county get offers in March or April, stating “a more competitive bidding environment could well yield proposals at a lower cost.”
Board Chair Patrick Miles, however, believes rebidding the project comes with risks, including the possible lack of a repeat bid from Miron.
Lower inflation rates and eased concern over rising interest rates in recent weeks could create conditions for a better bid, but a rebid is not guaranteed to alter the project’s situation.
If a rebid is not pursued, the board could accept Miron’s bid and OK an additional $27 million, $6 million of which would come from county income made on interest. It would take a three-fourths majority vote to do so and put the county’s total borrowing for the project at roughly $204 million.
