West Hollywood rejects construction bid for AIDS Monument project due to escalating costs

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Ontario Construction News staff writer

West Hollywood council has rejected the lone bid for construction and cancel the current Design-Build RFP process for STORIES: The AIDS Monument, because of the escalating construction costs.

The $14.1-million bid by PCL Construction was about increase of $9.4 million over the original $4.67 million 2020 estimate.

Rick Abramson, architect and manager of the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Studio, called the bid “rather surprising … in terms of the cost of the monument and the length of time it would take to construct it.”

He told council that a debriefing with PCL confirmed a variety of factors, including market forces, issues related to detailing and scope of work, availability of materials, and time frame in terms of the supply chain and a number of other considerations.

“It didn’t seem prudent to move forward with that process,” he said.

The project, located in West Hollywood Park along San Vicente Boulevard, is a collaboration between the Foundation for the AIDS Monument and the City of West Hollywood, to memorialize the devastation of HIV/AIDS on our nation, honor the courageous activists, caregivers, and community leaders through their STORIES, and raise awareness about the history and stigma of living with HIV/ AIDS.

Last year, the city initiated a RFQ/ RFP process to select a Design-Build Entity (DBE). Due to market conditions, level of document quality and scoping, and a limited number of local design-build entities with experience in public art, there was only one team that responded.

Due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to market forces, monument related detailing and scope, material availability, a dearth of bidders, project labor costs, and design-build consultant fees, this bid “drastically exceeds the originally anticipated project budget”, and staff does not consider it to be a viable option for moving forward.

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