The bid package for the proposed new administration building has been tailored to spark interest locally from contractors, according to the Warren County Commission.

Sealed bids will be accepted until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21. At that time, the bids will be opened. Any bids received after the deadline will not be considered.  

More than 20 different bid packages have been prepared by Septagon, the project manager, to potentially get as much local participation as possible, commissioners said. 

The move essentially eliminates the need for the commission to approve a local bidder policy to make it more competitive for local companies or those employing Warren County residents.

Had the local bidder policy been approved, the commission could have elected to choose a higher quote submitted by a local bidder if it fell within a defined range.

The commission hopes by breaking the overall project into smaller scopes, local contractors may be enticed to participate in the bidding process. Companies can bid on as many packages as desired.

“Hopefully we can get local people hired on,” Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. “We thought by doing it this way, it would be advantageous to local companies. 

“Otherwise, they need such a big bonding capacity. A lot of the (potential) bidders can cover their own trade, but not the whole building. Hopefully all entities can bid on it.”

The county has budgeted $6 million to construct a approximate 30,000-square-foot, two-story county building on 3 acres the commission purchased last year on South Highway 47 and Mockingbird Lane. The new facility will house all non-court related county offices.

The county has been awarded $227,745 from two grants that will cover expenses to construct and outfit the emergency management agency portion of the building. The county also is attempting to receive funds through AmerenUE’s energy-efficiency program to offset some of the expenses.

A 5 percent security deposit must accompany all bids, according to Nick Smith, of Septagon. Once a bid is awarded, the successful bidder will then need to provide a performance bond and a material and labor payment bond equal to 100 percent of the contract amount.

A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 2, at 1:30 p.m. Interested parties are encouraged to attend.

“This will go over any details or allow bidders to ask questions if they don’t think it’s clear enough,” Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said.

The commission hopes to have the bids awarded by October and envisions breaking ground later in the month. The earliest the building could open would be late 2011.

The various bid packages allow companies to bid on a variety of work, such as sitework, termite control, site utilities, asphalt paving, landscaping, retaining walls, site concrete, window treatments, elevator, plumbing, fire protection, HVAC and electrical. 

Bidders interested in the project can contact Wes Doerhoff at 573-808-0977 or Nick Smith at 660-827-2112.

The commission also announced that progress of the building project will be updated on the county’s Web site www.warrencountymo.org.