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August 27, 2015

Jail construction bid comes in under budget

MOUNT VERNON – It was another major milestone achieved for the Skagit County Jail Project team Tuesday, August 25 when the apparent low bidder on the construction project came in with a bid more than $1 million under budget.

Of five competitive bids submitted to Skagit County Tuesday, the apparent low bid was submitted by Lydig Construction of Bellevue, Washington with a bid of $41.7 million. This figure includes a base bid of $40,145,000 plus the cost of add-alternate project elements such as a water management system and additional security cameras.

“We had projected a total construction cost of $43 million,” said Project Manager Marc Estvold. “We are pleased that the apparent low bid not only takes in all project add-alternates, but does so under budget.”
As new construction activity has picked up nationally over the past six months there was some apprehension about bids on the jail project. Estvold characterized all five bidders as “highly qualified.” Lydig, he noted, has built jails in California, eastern Washington and Des Moines, Washington.

Next in the process is review and verification of all elements of the apparent low bid submittal. The Skagit County Board of Commissioners are expected to officially award the bid in about two weeks.
“It was great to have several competitive bids from some really qualified companies,” said Sheriff Will Reichardt. “We are looking forward to finalizing an agreement and getting shovels in the ground. This has been a long time in the works and it is exciting to see the plans really coming together and the opportunities a new jail will provide.”

Skagit County Corrections Chief Charlie Wend added: “The bid opening was another critical piece of a long, arduous, journey to get Skagit County residents a desperately needed new jail. This new facility will include increased space, providing immediate accountability for lawbreakers, and will enable staff to provide targeted programming at inmates to help interrupt the cycle of re-offense and re-incarceration. This is a win-win for Skagit County and another really exciting step forward.”