Southeastern Community College received some very good news when it opened the latest round of construction bids for its new Health Professions Center on the West Burlington campus.
Seven general contractors submitted proposals, with the lowest coming from Bi-State Contracting (West Burlington) at around $6.8-million.
In fact, SCC President Michael Ash said all seven bids came in below the original estimate of $8-million for the building that will house all health care-related programs.
"We were really excited about that," said Ash. "That's really due in large part to the team that is here that is working with the (college's architectural firm) making contact with the contractors and just clarifying whatever questions or issues they may have had in the first round."
During that first round, last fall, just one general contractor submitted a bid and it was about $2-million more than originally estimated.
Ash said the improved bids came not only from the improved communication with contractors, but also from the college extending the construction timeline and scaling back the projects.
He said, in fact, the bids came in so low that the college was able to restore the aspects of the new building it had scaled back.
“We are really happy about that because we are going to be able to have that building the way we had initially seen it and planned on it.”
The SCC Board of Trustees awarded the construction contact to Bi-State Contracting Monday night.
Ash said construction should get underway in late March or early April, depending on how the weather cooperates.
