After rejecting bids they deemed too high for work on Orland Hills’ community/senior center, officials there this week ended up awarding the job to the company they had really wanted all along.
At their Village Board meeting Wednesday, trustees unanimously voted to toss all bids received for masonry work on the project, then voted to waive the competitive bidding process and award the contract to Davia and Benda Inc., with offices in Palos Park and Palos Heights.
That company did similar work on the village’s public works facility, Trustee Dave Diggs said.
“We received a lot of different bids but they were way too high,” Diggs said, adding that Davia and Benda’s bid of $88,000 is more than $14,000 less than the lowest bid received.
“They do good work,” Diggs said after the meeting. “We wanted them originally but they weren’t available.”
Diggs said Davia and Benda did not bid on construction of the center, which will be in Kelly Park, because company executives misunderstood when the work needed to be done. Various problems have pushed back the schedule for the center, now expected to be completed in February or March.
Trustees also awarded bids totaling $185,828 for work relating to the electrical system and restrooms.