Agenda Item Wording:
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Award Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project - Authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract to BDM for the Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project in the amount of $169,785 and to appropriate an additional $138,325 to the project from the General Fund.
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Prepared by: Bret Adams, Project Manager II, 713-4507; Bret.Adams@visalia.gov Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, 713-4541; Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.gov Christopher Crawford, City Engineer, 713-4331; Chris.Crawford@visalia.gov Jason Huckleberry, Eng & Bldg. Director, 713-4495; Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.gov Jason Glick, Parks & Recreation Director, 713-4042; Jason.Glick@visalia.gov
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract to BDM Inc., for the Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project in the amount of $169,785 and to appropriate an additional $138,325 to the project from the General Fund.
Summary:
This project will replace the Anthony Community Center gymnasium’s existing evaporative coolers and natural gas heaters with a modern HVAC system sized to control the facilities temperature in all seasons.
On May 7th, 2026, the city purchasing division received and opened four (4) bid packages for this project. BDM Inc. submitted the low bid of $169,785.
Staff recommends that the city council award the construction contract to BDM Inc. which will require the appropriation of an additional $138,325 to the project.
Background Discussion:
Originally installed in 2005, the Anthony Community Center gymnasium’s heating and cooling system is now 21 years old and at the end of its useful life. As the original designer of the Anthony Community Center, TETER Inc. was sole sourced to provide design work for the HVAC improvements and delivered approved plans on March 31st, 2026. The City of Visalia issued (Request for Bid) RFB 25-26-53 on April 7th, 2026 to obtain construction bids. The following details the bid solicitation scope of work, establishment of the low bidder, bid cost analysis, and the recommended construction award.
Bid solicitation scope of work: The solicitation for this project called for a lump sum bid to perform all work related to the HVAC improvements as well as any landscaping repairs required as a result of operating a crane in the adjacent park. The city elected to separately purchase the HVAC units, due to their extended lead time, and will furnish them to BDM Inc. for installation.
Establishing low bidder: As allowed by the California Contract Code, section 20103.8, this bid solicitation specified that the method to be used to determine the apparent low bidder would be based on the “lowest total bid”. For this project, BDM Inc. submitted the low bid of $169,785.
TABLE 1
|
No. |
Contractor |
Location |
Total Sum Bid |
|
1 |
BDM Inc. |
Hanford, CA |
$169,785 |
|
2 |
Arctic Spark Controls |
Fowler, CA |
$170,550 |
|
3 |
American Inc. |
Visalia, CA |
$215,000 |
|
4 |
Strategic Mechanical |
Fresno, CA |
$281,570 |
The bid package for BDM was reviewed and found to be in compliance with the city’s requirements. Staff also contacted BDM Inc.’s listed references at Lemoore Union Elementary school district, Central Union Elementary school district and Fresno Unified school district. All three agencies acknowledged satisfaction with the contractor’s past performance. Based on the RFB submittal and reference checks, BDM Inc. is the qualified low bidder for the project.
Bid cost analysis: The lowest responsive bid from BDM Inc. is $169,785 or 22.7% below the engineer’s estimate. The engineer’s estimate and the submitted bids can be seen in the following table:
TABLE 2
|
Bid Items |
Engineer’s Estimate |
BDM Inc. |
Arctic Spark Controls |
American Inc. |
Strategic Mechanical |
|
TOTAL |
$219,613 |
$169,785 |
$170,550 |
$215,000 |
$281,570 |
Award recommendation: Based on review of the bid packages, staff recommends award of the contract to BDM Inc. in the amount of $169,785.
Fiscal Impact:
Following is the updated budget estimate for this project, including award of the bid to BDM Inc. There are currently insufficient funds in the project budget for the award of the Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project, therefore staff requests the appropriation of additional funds as shown below.
TABLE 3
|
Anthony Community Center gymnasium project budget (CP0783): |
$250,000 |
|
Design |
Estimated Cost |
|
Project management, drafting, etc. (city staff) |
$30,000 |
|
Design consultant (TETER Inc.) |
$46,800 |
|
Permit & environmental fees |
$783 |
|
Design subtotal |
$77,583 |
|
|
|
|
Construction |
Estimated Cost |
|
Lump sum bid (this award to BDM Inc.) |
$169,785 |
|
HVAC units (Sigler commercial) |
$88,914 |
|
Construction contingency (10%) |
$16,979 |
|
Construction management/inspection (city staff) |
$35,064 |
|
Construction subtotal |
$310,742 |
|
|
|
|
CP0783 Total estimated cost: |
$388,325 |
|
Budget deficit: |
($138,325) |
Authorization of the actions recommended in this staff report will require the appropriation of an additional $138,325 to CP0783 from the General Fund.
TABLE 4
|
CP0783 Anthony Community Center AC unit conversion Approved budget (General Fund) |
$250,000 |
|
Requested appropriation to CP0783 from the General Fund |
$138,325 |
|
New CP0783 budget |
$388,325 |
Prior Council Action:
June 16, 2025: The city council appropriated $250,000 and approved staff to proceed with the Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project.
Alternatives: None recommended
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract to BDM Inc. for the Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC improvement project in the amount of $169,785 and to approve the appropriation of an additional $138,325 from the General Fund to CP0783 (Anthony Community Center gymnasium HVAC project).
Environmental Assessment Status: The approval of the project will require environmental documentation pursuant to the California environmental quality act (CEQA) to be completed by staff.
CEQA Review: The requested action would be considered exempt under Section 15301 of the state guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A notice of exemption has been prepared for the project as section 15301 states that projects are exempted from CEQA if the project consists of the repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of facilities and mechanical equipment involving negligible or no expansion of existing use.
Deadline for Action: 06/01/2026
Attachments:
1) Vicinity map 2) Location map 3) BDM Inc ownership disclosure 4) BDM Inc contract
Strategic Goal:
|
☐ Economic Vitality |
☐  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☐  Infrastructure & Growth |
☒  Quality of Life |