The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Project bidding isn’t all about the numbers. It’s sometimes about crazy project titles and other times, well, it is about the numbers. Here’s a few of the interesting examples:
By the numbers
Really, your bid totals honestly came to $229,229,29, $1,459,459.59, $74,747.47 etc.? If that’s the case, you should be spending every penny you have on the lottery tickets.
Pooling resources
A few project titles have left me somewhat bemused, specifically repainting the ceiling of a pool and the replacement of pool door projects.
How exactly does one paint the ceiling of a pool and exactly what is considered the ceiling of a pool anyway? Not the pool building mind you, the pool itself as called for in the ad.
A pool door replacement project confuses me almost more than the ceiling. It just doesn’t make sense on paper.
Attacking robots?
Fast attack deployable robots has been my favorite so far. What are they sending robots out to attack and why do they need the ability to attack fast?
Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics (1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law) aren’t mentioned once in the bid ad.
Women power
Many municipalities, architects and engineers still find the concept of a female submitting a bid on a job impossible, as per the “No bidder may withdraw his bid …” notations in many of today’s bid ads.
However, one engineering firm has revised its notation to read “his/her.” Welcome to the 20th Century folks.
What the …?
I like seeing new WTF Construction bids because the first thing that pops into my head isn’t wastewater treatment plant.
It’s a mystery
The Winchester Mystery House, which reportedly was under continuous construction for 38 years, should be a national treasure.
And finally …
North Shore Environmental Construction Inc., Germantown, submitted a nearly $1.3 million bid to maintain vegetation and remove sediment from a small watercourse in Milwaukee. The low bid for the contract came in at $121,000.
I wonder if their bid preparers were schooled by J.P. Landscape LLC?
Jeff Moore is a data reporter at The Daily Reporter. He’s always on the lookout for bid anomalies.
