Miron low-bidder for $133M UW-Madison chemistry-building overhaul

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Miron Construction was the low-bidder for a contract to expand and renovate the University of Wisconsin-Madison‘s chemistry building.

Miron’s $98.6 million bid was the lowest of three to be submitted for the project and includes $40 million worth of utility subcontracts that was already awarded to four companies. Following years of delays, state officials approved the overhaul of the chemistry building in June, giving it a maximum budget of $133.1 million.

Also submitting bids for the project were C.D. Smith Construction, of Fond du Lac, which offered to do the work for $100.6 million, and J.H. Findorff & Son, of Madison, which offered to do it for $103.6 million.

North American Mechanical, of Windsor, claimed the largest utility job, a $24.3 million project to install heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. Separately, Staff Electric Co., of Madison, won a contract to perform $10.4 million worth of electrical work, Monona Plumbing & Fire Protection, also of Madison, won a $3.5 million contract for plumbing work and J.F. Ahern, of Fond du Lac, won a $1.5 million contract for fire-protection work.

UW-Madison‘s overhaul of its chemistry building calls for the construction of an 188,442-square-foot, 10-story tower, which will house the university’s chemistry department. The same project also calls for the renovation of the existing Daniels Chemistry building, work that is to get underway in two years’ time.

The tower project is expected to start in September and wrap up in October 2022. The architectural firms Strang, of Madison, and Ballinger, of Philadelphia, designed the building.