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Onyx Paving given FPUD contract

While repairing leaks of Fallbrook Public Utility District facilities, FPUD staff temporarily patched 40 sites with cold mix asphalt. On March 22, FPUD’s board awarded Onyx Paving a contract for a one-time paving project to replace the cold mix patches with permanent hot mix paving.

The 5-0 vote awarded Onyx Paving the contract for $77,120.

“I’m excited to see this approach,” board member Charley Wolk said.

“We have been evaluating small paving projects, as well as different contractor paving methods, to find the most cost-effective approach to expedite final paving of roads after a leak,” FPUD general manager Jack Bebee said.

“We’ve been trying to come up with solutions,” FPUD senior engineer Aaron Cook said.

“This time, to save money, we allowed some repairs to accumulate and then we contracted for a specified quantity and area to be paved,” Cook said. “The result was a much lower cost per square foot. In addition, our crews are performing some of the final paving work for smaller jobs as their workload allows, which also helps with cost.”

If a project requires excavation the road must be repaved. At one time FPUD grouped final repaving projects, but the delays between the completion of the projects and the completion of the final paving resulted in poor road conditions before the final paving. In 2016, FPUD adopted a policy of competitive solicitations for as-needed paving work based on estimated quantities and unit pricing. The contracts were awarded annually, and bidders were allowed to submit separate bids for asphalt and concrete work.

“Every year we have a certain amount of paving that we contract out,” Bebee said.

“This is different because in the past we executed an annual paving contract for as-needed paving with a set price per square foot, but we didn’t know how much paving would be needed over the course of the year,” Cook said. “As the need to repair pavement due to a pipeline break or meter repair arose, we’d request the contractor come do the work at the contracted price per square foot.”

FPUD staff prepared a request for proposals which was issued Feb. 23. Three companies submitted bids. The Onyx Paving bid of $77,120 was the lowest.

“That to me is a good deal. They do a good job,” Wolk said.

FPUD’s 2020-2021 budget included $100,000 for paving projects required by leak repair.

“We are staying under the budgeted amount for paving,” Bebee said.

Kirk Paving submitted the second-lowest bid at $91,000. FPUD has a 5% allowance for local companies, but no local firms bid on the project. Onyx Paving is based in Anaheim. Kirk Paving is headquartered in Lakeside. The only other bidder, Prestige Striping Services Inc., is based in Corona.

Onyx Paving has not previously performed work for FPUD.

“We will be evaluating the performance of this contractor and determining the best strategy moving forward,” Bebee said.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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