Photo: Rendering of the proposed facility planned near Fairchild Airport
PORT ANGELES — Clallam County and the city of Port Angeles officials have rejected all bids for the Joint Public Safety Facility project after a key subcontractor withdrew its original pricing.
During a Tuesday meeting, County Administrator Todd Mielke told commissioners that all three bids—submitted by H.B. Hansen Construction Inc., Neeley Construction and Interwest Construction—relied on the same electrical subcontractor, NuuCo. The company later raised its price by $750,000 and cited misunderstandings about the project scope.
“Because it’s the same electrical contractor. And again, the significant part of the bid is present in all three bids that we received. By eliminating one contractor, we can’t just go to the second one, because we have the same problem with all three,” said Mielke
The $22 million facility, planned for Edgewood Drive near the airport, will house the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management division and Pencom, the regional 911 dispatch center.
After consulting legal counsel, Mielke and Port Angeles Public Works Director Scott Curtin concluded that rebidding the project was the most appropriate solution. Officials expect to provide an update in six to eight weeks.