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By DAPHNE HUTCHINSON
RappahMMck News Staff Writer
“I think it’s important that we don’t overreact at this point,” cautioned assistant superintendent Tom Campbell, as the Rappahannock School Board learned last Thursday that the three bids received on the high school expansion exceeded the $1.5 million awarded the construction project through the state literary loan. "I certainly would have liked to see lower bids but I don’t see this as disastrous.”
The bids opened at 2 p.m. on Thursday were:
• $1,658,693 from Baughan Construction Company of Luray.
• $1,783,140 from Harmon Construction Company of Harrisonburg.
• $1,800,000 from L. White A Company of Fredericksburg.
At a meeting that night to review the proposals, architect Bob Simpson said that bids frequently come in over cost projections. “Generally, we consider within 10 percent of the estimate to be veiy close.”
(In this instance, the cost was estimated and the expansion project approved by the State Department of Education in June 1984. It then went on the waiting list for a low interest state literary fund loan which was not awarded until this past December, two and a half years after the projection of construction costs.)
To attempt to bring the bid down to the amount of the literary loan, Mr. Simpson said he will meet with Mr. Baughan, the low bidder, to review his proposal. “I’ll get his ideas on what can be taken out of the contract. A contractor can often come up with things an architect won’t think of as far as saving money goes.” Generally, a bid price can be cut by five to eight percent through this review process, the architect said. “Then, if we can’t get down far enough,/ we’ll look at revising the plans, changing the design.”
He assured the School Board that this type of negotiating with the low bidder is "standard practice” and poses no legal problems by failing to include the other bidders.
Neither do the negotiations obligate the board to accept Baughan Construction’s bid, noted Superintendent Robert Estabrook. “This is for clarification, not for commitment.” And should the negotiations
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