Firm angered by competing bid for jail construction

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, May 15, 2001 | 10:10 a.m.

Martin-Harris Construction claims the city of North Las Vegas is being duped and plans to protest the city's expected award of a jail contract to another company.

The city received a federal grant last year for $5.8 million for a new jail. Part of the existing jail will be demolished and a two-story building will be built in its place, accommodating 400 prisoners, or 100 more than the existing building. The addition will bump the jail's total capacity to more than 700 inmates.

City staff Wednesday will recommend that the City Council award the bid to Carson Construction Management.

Patrick Warren, vice president of estimating for Martin-Harris, said the company will protest the recommendation by the Public Works Department and Detention Center Chief Ken Ellingson.

There were six bids for the jail, with two options -- the last option included costs for the project to be completed in six months.

Once the city determined the project must be completed in six months, Carson Construction had the lowest bid of $5.35 million, which included $30,000 to finish the job in the shortened period.

Martin-Harris bid the original seven-month job at $5.27 million, but added an additional $100,000 to finish the project in six months -- totaling $5.36 million.

Warren said it is hard to believe that it will only cost Carson Construction an additional $30,000 to complete the job in six months. Other contractors seeking the bid estimated between $100,000 and $300,000 on top of the original bid to complete the project in six months.

Warren said Carson Construction will hike up costs to the city when it takes longer than six months to complete.

"Our opinion is they're going to get the contract and do it in seven months, instead of six months," Warren said.

Peter Harvey, president of Carson Construction, said the company has every intention of completing the job within six months. He said the company has been working since April to get plans and specs together early, which will cut costs when construction begins in June.

Brenda Johnson, city spokeswoman, said city staff bases its decision on which company is the lowest, responsible bidder.

Johnson said the city can't predict the future and guess what Carson Construction might do once the project nears completion.

Warren said the public should wait and see what happens in six months.

"Watch what happens in six months," Warren said. "I believe that the city officials and North Las Vegas taxpayers are all being duped by this."