Consent 1.B.1.
City Council Regular Business Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 01/12/2026
- TITLE
- W.O. 26-08: WRF Digester Gas Piping Buried Pipe Replacement, Bid Award
- PRESENTED BY:
- Debi Meling
- Department:
- Public Works
Presentation:
No
Legal Review:
Project Number:
N/A
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council award a contract for W.O. 26-08, WRF Digester Gas Piping – Buried Pipe Replacement, to COP Construction in the amount of $224,387.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
W.O. 26-08 will replace aging, corroded buried digester gas and sludge piping at the Water Reclamation Facility to address safety risks associated with methane and hydrogen sulfide and improve system reliability. The project was competitively bid in December, received four bids, and staff recommends award to COP Construction as the lowest responsible bidder.
BACKGROUND (Consistency with Adopted Plans and Policies, if applicable)
W.O. 26-08, WRF Digester Gas Piping – Buried Pipe Replacement, is intended to replace two buried digester gas pipes and one buried sludge pipe at the Water Reclamation Facility.
The digester gas and sludge piping is over 40 years old and has been experiencing failures in recent years due to internal pipe corrosion. These failures create a safety concern as the pipes contain methane and hydrogen sulfide. Replacing the digester gas piping will be completed in two separate construction contracts. This first construction contract will focus on the buried piping and the only way to address the corroded piping is to dig up the piping and replace the damaged pipe. The future digester gas piping replacement construction contract will be for the gas piping on the interior of the digester building, as well as the piping on the roof of the digester tanks. The second construction contract is in the design phase and is expected to be ready for bidding within the next few months. Both of these construction contracts have been budgeted in FY26.
The project was advertised on November 21st, November 28th, December 5th, and December 12th, in the Yellowstone County News and on the City’s website. Bids were opened on December 16th and 4 bids were received. COP Construction submitted the lowest, responsible bid. The lowest responsible bid is much lower than the next bid, so staff reviewed the bids and found no apparent errors or bidding discrepancies. In addition, the contractor confirmed their bid was based on the bid documents as written, and is confident that they will be able to complete the project as specified within the allotted contract time.
The digester gas and sludge piping is over 40 years old and has been experiencing failures in recent years due to internal pipe corrosion. These failures create a safety concern as the pipes contain methane and hydrogen sulfide. Replacing the digester gas piping will be completed in two separate construction contracts. This first construction contract will focus on the buried piping and the only way to address the corroded piping is to dig up the piping and replace the damaged pipe. The future digester gas piping replacement construction contract will be for the gas piping on the interior of the digester building, as well as the piping on the roof of the digester tanks. The second construction contract is in the design phase and is expected to be ready for bidding within the next few months. Both of these construction contracts have been budgeted in FY26.
The project was advertised on November 21st, November 28th, December 5th, and December 12th, in the Yellowstone County News and on the City’s website. Bids were opened on December 16th and 4 bids were received. COP Construction submitted the lowest, responsible bid. The lowest responsible bid is much lower than the next bid, so staff reviewed the bids and found no apparent errors or bidding discrepancies. In addition, the contractor confirmed their bid was based on the bid documents as written, and is confident that they will be able to complete the project as specified within the allotted contract time.
FISCAL EFFECTS
The following bids were received:
The Buried Digester Gas and Sludge Piping Replacement was budgeted along with the interior gas piping project in FY26 using Wastewater Funds in the amount of $1,826,000. Considering previously encumbered funds for engineering fees ($291,200) and this contract ($224,387), there are $1,310,413.00 remaining to construct the interior gas piping project and allow for any change orders. There are adequate funds to award this contract.
| Contractor | Base Bid |
| COP Construction | $224,387.00 |
| Askin Construction | $349,950.00 |
| Star Service | $355,600.00 |
| Western Municipal | $383,000.00 |
The Buried Digester Gas and Sludge Piping Replacement was budgeted along with the interior gas piping project in FY26 using Wastewater Funds in the amount of $1,826,000. Considering previously encumbered funds for engineering fees ($291,200) and this contract ($224,387), there are $1,310,413.00 remaining to construct the interior gas piping project and allow for any change orders. There are adequate funds to award this contract.
STAKEHOLDERS
ALTERNATIVES
The Council may:
- Award W.O. 26-08, WRF Digester Gas Piping – Buried Pipe Replacement, to COP Construction in the amount of $224,387; or
- Not award a contract and reject all bids. If the project is not awarded, the buried digester gas and sludge piping will not be repaired and the 40-year old failing piping will continue to be a hazard to city staff and critical process equipment.