Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 13, 1993 TAG: 9310130319
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Most of the bids, which were opened Tuesday, were within the estimated $7 million to $8 million cost for the project.
J.M. Turner & Co. and Branch & Associates submitted base bids of $7,980,000 and $8,070,000 respectively.
Turner's proposal was a joint venture with F.N. Thompson, a contractor based in Charlotte, N.C.
Another Roanoke company, Thor Inc., also was among the low bidders, with a price of $8,232,000.
Eight companies bid on the conference center, which will be owned by the city and will be part of the renovated hotel complex.
"Most of them are in the ballpark of what we were expecting," said City Councilman James Harvey, chairman of the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center Commission.
The commission will review the bids and hopes to award a contract by the end of the month, said Brian Wishneff, acting director of the commission. Construction is expected to begin next month.
The project was bid with several alternatives, Wishneff said, so architects will review all bids closely before deciding which company's is lowest.
After the low bidder is identified, the commission may negotiate a different price by reducing or adding items, Wishneff said. "A lot of adjustments can be made," he said.
Harvey said the commission also will evaluate the bids to determine how many local, minority and woman-owned businesses will be used as subcontractors and suppliers.
"There are no quotas, set-asides, or any special considerations for minority, women or local contractors," Harvey said. But the commission urged contractors to use such businesses.
"We will be looking at that as we review the bids," Wishneff said.
The efforts to involve local, minority and women businesses were prompted in part by complaints from unions and subcontractors that they have been shut out of city projects.
The commission had been scheduled to open the bids Oct. 1, but delayed the opening to allow more time for the contractors to establish relationships with local, minority and women-owned firms.
It also appointed Alvin Nash, the contract coordinator, to be the liaison officer for its business enterprise plan. Nash will review the bids to evaluate contractors' local-participation programs.
The conference center's total cost is expected to be about $13 million after nearly $5 million is added for equipment, kitchen, furnishings and other items.
Bids will be sought in the next few weeks on the $28 million hotel project, which will be owned by Virginia Tech. Construction on both the conference center and hotel are scheduled to be completed by the spring of 1995.
The Turner/Thompson partnership, one of the low bidders, was chosen earlier as the general contractor for the hotel. That decision was made by Virginia Tech, not the city.
David Van Blaricom, a spokesman for Faison Associates, the hotel developer, said bids will be taken soon on most of the subcontracts for electrical, mechanical, plumbing and other parts of the project.
\ BIDS ON HOTEL ROANOKE CONFERENCE CENTER\ \ CONTRACTOR HOME BID DAYS TO COMPLETE\ Branch and Associates Roanoke $8,070,000 490\ Burwil Construction Bristol,Tenn. $8,765,000 725\ English Construction Altavista $10,022,500 540\ Kenbridge Construction Kenbridge $8,189,000 450\ Pizzagalli Construction Burlington, Vt. $8,295,000 425\ Shirley Construction Portsmouth $8,135,000 485\ Thor Inc. Roanoke $8,232,000 580\ J.M.Turner/F.N.Thompson Rke./Charlotte,N.C. $7,980,000 427
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in the Metro edition.