Bid workshop set after rules sound alarms

The City of Sparks a few weeks ago rejected six out of seven bids for renovation of its C Street parking garage.

The reason? Bidders failed to meet the requirements of what appears to be a small change in state law concerning public works contracts.

Alarmed by the possibility that they'll face similar problems on other contracts, the city will join with Truckee Meadows Water Authority for a free workshop next month to educate contractors about changing legal requirements.

Dan Marran, the purchasing agent for the Sparks city government, says the rejected bids on the parking garage job failed to meet a new requirement that general contractors specifically list the portions of a project that they'll handle themselves.

In the past, state law assumed that any portions of a job that weren't assigned to a subcontractor in a bid would be handled by the general contractor.

When six of the seven contractors didn't specifically list themselves as handling subcontracting roles, the city ended up awarding the job to Q&D Construction of Sparks, whose bid was $112,000 higher than the lowest, but rejected bid.

"We hate turning bidders away," says Marran.

Marran says some general contractors also have been tripped up by new state requirements concerning a program that gives preference to bids from companies that are significant taxpayers in the state.

The new state law requires those companies to provide detailed information about factors such as their use of subcontractors in Nevada and their employment of Nevada residents.

The free workshop on the changes in state law is set for 2 p.m. May 10 at the Association of General Contractors, 5400 Mill St. Reservations are requested to Melissa Duvall at 329-6116 or melissad@nevadaagc.org.