Panel narrows choices of firms to get contracts

• By DAVID J. MITCHELL
• River Parishes bureau
• Published: Nov 8, 2009

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GONZALES — An Ascension Parish professional selection committee has placed top-scoring firms on the “short list” for lucrative engineering contracts with parish government.

The committee vetted firm proposals and narrowed the list to three or four companies during a Thursday public meeting at the parish Department of Public Works building. The full Ascension Parish Council is expected to consider them in coming weeks.

The contracts offered and the firms named in order of tentative scoring are the following:

• Retainer contract for surveying: SJB Group LLC; BFM Corp. LLC; and a third- place tie between ABMB Engineers Inc. and the firm of Pyburn and Odom Inc.
• Traffic analysis and design: ABMB Engineers Inc.; Burk-Kleinpeter Inc.; and Buchart Horn Inc.
• Retainer contract for geotechnical testing and inspection: Eustis Engineering Services Inc.; PSI; and Ardaman and Associates Inc.
• Muddy Creek bridge design: ABMB Engineers Inc.; Burk-Kleinpeter Inc.; and Volkert and Associates Inc.

Proposals from between seven and 18 firms were scored for the contracts. Rankings and scores are pending a final mathematical check, parish officials said.

Former parish Public Works Department chief Bob  Turner and incumbent Drainage Director Bill Roux, both members of the committee, said retainer contracts mean winning firms can be called to do jobs for the parish in the next year.

The retainer contracts would be set not to exceed $200,000 and would begin in 2010,  said Public Works Chief Engineer Jackie Baumann, another committee member.

The Muddy Creek bridge engineering contract, which will actually be with East Ascension Drainage District No. 1, would have to be negotiated, Roux said. Estimated to cost $5.25 million, the project would elevate the creek bridge and approaches to avoid chronic flooding that can isolate some residents.

With the traffic analysis contract, the winning firm will handle traffic analysis needs for a year but also design road roundabouts currently proposed  in the parish, Baumann said.

Created in September 2008 at the request of the administration, the selection committee has been meeting since January. Under former councils and administrations, divisive, political fights would sometimes arise over which firms should handle engineering work.

Unlike public works projects, such as building roads or bridges, professional services do not fall under the state public bid law, where the lowest qualifying bid must be selected.

In this case, the committee evaluated proposals with a standard score sheet offering up to 100 points.

On Thursday, each committee member read off his or her scores for each firm on each contract as several representatives of companies sat, listened and took notes.