MnDOT and WisDOT announce apparent best value contractor
The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation opened bids for the Blatnik Bridge replacement project Tuesday, June 23, and Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II was the apparent best value proposer.
MnDOT, lead agency on the project, chose the design-build process for the Blatnik Bridge project. This means MnDOT and WisDOT define the standards and general specifications expected for the bridge project and then hire a contractor to design and construct the bridge to satisfy those requirements. This process was chosen for efficient coordination between the design team and the construction team, a lower cost and more innovative design and construction.
MnDOT often uses a best-value system for design-build projects, which combines a bidder’s technical score and price into a single adjusted score. The lowest adjusted score at project letting determines who will be awarded the contract for the project. Two contractors bid on the Blatnik project. Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II’s bid was $930 million.
The states and Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II now have up to 60 days before the contract is awarded. Until then, the states cannot discuss confidential details of Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II’s technical proposal. A public meeting will be held in early September to give an update on the project including details on the design of the new bridge.