Daniel A. Berner:
In emergencies such as this bridge collapse, RCW 47.28.170 allows WSDOT to obtain bids for the work without publishing a call for bids, and the secretary of transportation then awards the contract to the lowest responsible bidder. In this case, WSDOT awarded the emergency contract to repair the bridge to Atkinson Construction Company ("Atkinson"), which is one of three WSDOT pre-approved emergency contractors. Atkinson started work on the project by removing the vehicles and debris from the river.
On May 26, 2013, the Governor announced a plan to install a temporary bridge by mid-June 2013, and a permanent bridge by mid-September 2013. ....
[I]t is ...unclear whether the contract for the new bridge will be issued under the emergency procurement methods or under standard procurement methods.
Here is the Washington State DOT:
WSDOT submits the scope of work and cost estimate to FHWA in a Detailed Damage Inspection Report (DDIR) for an initial determination that the scope and estimated costs are eligible for federal reimbursement. Once the DDIR is signed by FHWA, WSDOT is able to move forward to secure and access federal funding for the temporary and permanent repairs. To assist WSDOT in quickly replacing the collapsed bridge and restoring normal traffic operations, FHWA authorized the quick release of $1,000,000 of federal emergency relief funding on May 24, 2013.So, it looks like Washington state has awarded the clean-up and temporary bridge job to Atkinson, one of three pre-approved emergency contractors, on a T&M basis (?), ... hoping the feds will eventually fund this. Expected cost for this temporary span is $5 million.
The State's May 29, 2013 letter to the Federal Highway Administration indicates that HQ Bridge and Structures (part of of WDOT) is working on the design of a replacement span, and is expected to be advertised by late June, 2013. The expected cost for the permanent structure is $11 million. It does not appear that they are planning to replace the entire bridge. As Brad DeLong would say, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot.
Compare ....
By contrast, the State of California used a competitively bid fixed price contract with a very strong incentive provision to encourage speed of construction after a gasoline tanker truck exploded, collapsing a span in the MacArthur Maze just east of the San Francisco Bay Bridge in April, 2007. Clean up work started immediately on an emergency basis, but the state then managed to greatly streamline its competitive bid procedures for awarding the replacement work. C. C. Myers, Inc., submitted a winning bid of $876,075 to repair the damage to the I-580 connector, but this bid was estimated to cover only one-third of the cost of the work. CC Meyers counted on making up the shortfall with the offered incentive of $200,000 per day if the work was completed before June 27, 2007. Their gamble paid off. The permanent replacement for the span was completed within 26 days, 33 days ahead of the deadline, and the contractor earned a $5 million bonus more than offsetting its $1.8 million underbid to buy the job.
CC Myers had a $867,075 contract to repair burned concrete columns supporting I-580, which flies over I-880 in an Emeryville interchange called "MacArthur Maze," about a mile east of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge, Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus says. On April 29, a gasoline tanker traveling on westbound I-80 to southbound I-880 toward San Jose overturned and caught fire. The intense heat caused the steel frame of the freeway to soften, and the eastbound Interstate 580 connector above collapsed onto the I-880 connector, closing two major arterials.
"Thanks to hard, around-the-clock work of Caltrans and CC Myers, our local partners and businesses, Bay Area motorists can once again travel through this busy interchange," stated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger(R) at a press conference. "Just in time for the holiday weekend, this roadway will be open in 26 days from when the accident occurred.
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