To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: AWARD and AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to execute a construction contract in the amount of $5,907,000 with Dowdle & Sons Mechanical, Inc., for the Contra Costa Regional Medical Chiller Replacement Project at 2500 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) APPROVE the design and bid documents, including the plans and specifications, for the above project.
(2) DETERMINE that the bid submitted by Dowdle & Sons Mechanical, Inc. (Dowdle) complies with all requirements of the Project specifications, including the requirements of the County’s Outreach Program.
(3) DIRECT that Dowdle shall submit two good and sufficient security bonds (performance and payment bonds) in the amount of $5,907,000 each.
(4) WAIVE any minor irregularities in Dowdle’s bid.
(5) FURTHER DETERMINE that Dowdle submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid for this Project.
(6) DIRECT that, as a condition of contract award, Dowdle and its subcontractors shall execute a Project Labor Agreement for this Project, as required by the Project specifications.
(7) AWARD the construction contract for the above Project to Dowdle in the listed amount ($5,907,000) submitted in the bid, and DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to prepare the contract.
(8) ORDER that, after Dowdle has signed the contract and returned it, together with the bonds, evidence of insurance, and other required documents, and the Public Works Director has reviewed and found them to be sufficient, the Public Works Director, or designee, is authorized to sign the contract for this Board.
(9) ORDER that, in accordance with the Project specification and upon signature of the construction contract by the Public Works Director, or designee, any bid bonds posted by the bidders are exonerated and any checks or cash submitted for bid security shall be returned.
(10) AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to sign any escrow agreements prepared for this Project to permit the direct payment of retention into escrow for the substitution of securities for monies withheld by the County to ensure performance under the contract, pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 2230.
(11) AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to order changes or additions to the work pursuant to the Public Contract Code Section 20142. The extra cost to the County for any change or addition to the work so ordered shall not exceed $210,000.
(12) DELEGATE, pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 4114, to the Public Works Director, or designee, the Board’s functions under Public Contract Code Section 4107 and 4110.
(13) DECLARE that, should the award of contract to Dowdle be invalidated for any reason, the Board would not in any event have awarded the contract to any other bidder, but instead would have exercised its discretion to reject the bids received. Nothing in this Board Order shall prevent the Board from re-awarding the contract to another bidder in cases where the successful bidder establishes a mistake, refuses to sign the contract, or fails to furnish required bonds or insurance (see Public Contract Code Sections 5100-5107).
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% Hospital Enterprise Fund I
BACKGROUND:
This project will replace the three existing chiller units that currently serve the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) hospital. The existing chillers are original to the acute care hospital that was designed in 1993, and have been in use since the 1990’s. They have ongoing maintenance problems, and parts are becoming obsolete and harder to source. This results in lengthy periods of downtime and creates potential for impacting patient care as well as falling out of compliance with regulatory requirements.
The new chillers units will have a larger capacity to allow for future hospital expansion. The chiller work also includes rerouting piping within the chiller plant, replacement and relocation of the chilled water expansion tank, and installation of a new refrigerant leak detection system.
An interim chiller and generator will be installed to provide service during construction at times when permanent equipment is not functional. They will be operational throughout the project phases as existing chillers are taken offline sequentially. After all new equipment is installed and connected to permanent pipes and conduit, all interim equipment will be shut down and removed.
This project will be under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) and will be categorized as an HCAI level 1 project, which has the most stringent requirements for a hospital project. Permits have already been secured from HCAI to do the work.
On June 24,2025, the Board of Supervisors authorized the Public Works Director to solicit bids for the Project. The Construction cost estimate was $7,882,595. General prevailing wage rates will be the minimum rates paid on this project. Four bids were received and opened by the Public Works Department on September 18, 2025, and the bid results are as follows:
|
BIDDER |
BID AMOUNT |
|
Dowdle & Sons Mechanical, Inc. |
$5,907,000 |
|
ACCO Engineered Systems |
$6,358,880 |
|
Matrix HG, Inc. |
$6,856,786 |
|
EMCOR Services, Mesa Energy Systems, Inc. |
$7,862,788 |
Public Works Department staff has thoroughly reviewed the bids and determined that Dowdle’s bid is responsive and that Dowdle has documented an adequate good faith effort to comply with the requirements of the County’s Outreach Program as provided in the Project specifications. Staff recommends that the construction contract for this Project be awarded to Dowdle, the lowest responsible bidder, in the amount of $5,907,000, as listed in Dowdle’s bid.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without the Board of Supervisors’ approval, the aging chiller units and associated equipment will not be replaced. As repairs to existing equipment become more difficult to implement, lengthy downtimes will become unavoidable and will likely impact patient care and occupant comfort. The CCRMC may fall out of regulatory compliance.