January 13, 2005
Mr. Mike Wildgen
City Manager
P.O. Box 708
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
via email: mwildgen@ci.lawrence.ks.us
Re: Lawrence Douglas County Fire & Medical #5
Dear Mr. Wildgen:
As requested by the City Commissioners at the January 11, 2005 meeting, we are providing a list of possible changes to the bid documents that should result in cost reductions. We met with Commissioner Jere McElhaney, Commissioner David Dunfield, Craig Weinaug, Jim McSwain, Mark Bradford and Pam Madl to discuss several possible cost saving options.
Based on this discussion, and your acceptance, the following items will be changed, which may result in the estimated cost savings.
Item |
Estimated Savings |
|
A. Soil Disposal |
|
|
§ Remove soil to a private off-site location without fees. In conversations with a subcontractor, no disposal fees were included in their bid. |
$0 |
|
|
|
|
B. Light Fixtures |
|
|
§ Change recessed fluorescent light fixture type |
$ 4,200 |
|
§ Change suspended fluorescent light fixture type and increase quantity of fixtures for equal illumination. |
$ 18,000 |
|
§ Engineering fees for modifications |
- $ 4,000 |
|
Net Savings |
$ 18,200 |
|
|
|
|
C. Masonry |
|
|
§ Bid the Prairie Stone (fabricated modular stone) as base bid in lieu of limestone. The current low bidder offers a $77,000 savings. However, $40,000 is the average among all six bidders.* |
$ 40,000 |
|
§ Design fee is included in original bid documents. |
$ 0 |
Net Savings |
$ 40,000 |
* Note – Potential loss of additional $33,000 with rebid.
|
D. Roofing System |
|
|
§ Replace specified rigid insulation with a less expensive alternative while retaining the same R-value, and increasing the overall roof assembly by 2”. |
$12,000 |
|
§ Fee to modify the specification |
- $ 820 |
|
Net Savings |
$11,180 |
|
|
|
|
E. Paving |
|
|
§ Reduce paving thickness from 8” to 6” asphalt in guest parking drive area and at all parking spaces |
$24,000 |
|
§ Engineering fees for modifications |
- $ 1,200 |
|
Net Savings |
$23,800 |
|
|
|
|
F. Mechanical System |
|
|
§ Use duct heaters in lieu of fan power boxes. This is likely to reduce ceiling heights in some spaces due to increases in duct sizes. |
$23,000 |
|
§ Increased operational cost per year.** |
- $ 4,000 |
|
§ Engineering fees for modifications |
- $ 8,000 |
Initial Net Savings |
$11,000 |
|
** Note – Increase in annual operational cost after 3 years.
|
|
|
G. Aluminum Windows and Doors |
|
|
§ Change metal finish from a champagne anodized finish to clear anodized finish. § Change glazing system at clerestory from a butt glazed system to a “captured” storefront system. The expected savings in labor has not yielded an equal savings in material costs. However, the option is still be investigated. § Fee to modify the specification |
$ 4,500
$ 0
$ 0 |
|
Net Savings |
$4,500 |
|
|
|
|
H. Flooring |
|
|
§ Change carpet tile to broadloom carpet in Offices & Bedrooms Specified carpet tile cost is $15 per square yard, which is a very competitive rate, even when compared to conventional broadloom carpet on 12’ wide rolls. Considering the amount of waste that will be incurred with broadloom material, the current specification is the most economical, and we do not recommend this option. § Fees to select new carpet and color scheme § Reduce quantity of public & administrative restroom wall tile. § Fee to modify tile design. Net Savings |
$ 2,000
- $ 640 $ 2,100
$ 0 $ 3,460 |
Total Net Savings $112,140
Net
Savings (not including items C and F) $ 61,140
Project Development Background
The following construction cost estimates were provided to the city during the project’s development:
Phase Date Estimate
Preliminary Study Phase June 5, 2002 $4,347,000 estimated based on
Construction in 2004
Conceptual Design Phase March 11, 2004 $3,941,000
Schematic Design Phase June 17, 2004 $4,220,000
During the schematic design phase several items were value engineered to reduce the cost, which included:
Evaluated Mechanical/Electrical Systems based on effectiveness/efficiency
Raised building floor elevations to limit excavation and retaining wall height
Reduce quantity of Masonry to limited interior walls at high abuse areas only
Reduced quantity of landscaping to meet city standards
Research the least costly window systems
Reduced cost of finishes:
Stained Concrete flooring for Station
Rubber wall base
Painted interior concrete block walls
Exposed structure where possible
Design Development Phase August 18, 2004 $4,072,000
Bid Opening
Six bids were submitted on December 7, 2004. The three lowest bids range from $4,570,000 to 4,650,000, representing a 1% differential, which confirms the legitimacy of the bids. Therefore the estimated construction cost projected on August 18 did not accurately represent current bidding conditions or sufficiently anticipate inflation in concrete, steel, metals and building insulation prices.
If you have any additional questions please call.
Sincerely,
Dan Sabatini
Sabatini Architects Inc.
cc: Commissioner Jere McElhaney
Commissioner David Dunfield
Craig Weinaug
Jim McSwain
Mark Bradford
Pam Madl