First round of bids rejected for $189M UW-Milwaukee project

A state university project in Milwaukee will go out to bid again after the first round of mechanical, electrical and plumbing bids were rejected.

The state briefly awarded a combined total of more than $91.9 million to four Wisconsin companies for mechanical, electrical and fire protection services for the $189.3 million University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Health Sciences building renovation project.

However, those bids were rejected due to “excessive costs,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

In April, the state bid MEP work for the more than 300,000-square-foot renovation for the Northwest Quadrant, formerly Columbia Hospital, to fit the university’s health sciences programs, according to the Wisconsin Project Center.

The companies that won and lost bids were Windsor-based North American Mechanical Inc. for more than $52.8 million, Waukesha-based Next Electric Inc. for $29.7 million, Franklin-based Lee Mechanical for nearly $6.5 million and Butler-based Blair Fire Protection for more than $2.8 million.

None of the companies immediately responded to requests for comment.

The DOA’s Division of Facilities Development is planning to rebid the project, but a timeline has not yet been established.

Known as the Health Sciences Renovation Project, the project was enumerated at $189.3 million in the 2025-27 state budget signed by Gov. Tony Evers in summer 2025.

Renovation work includes removing old hospital patient and treatment rooms, replacing building infrastructure such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and installing new insulation on the exterior envelope, a state agency report showed.

In the 2025-27 state budget, the proposed construction start date was in May 2026 and the project was expected to be complete in July 2030.

In 2010, UWM bought Columbia Hospital for $20.2 million and acquired more than 1.1 square feet of building space. This was the largest addition of land and existing buildings since acquiring the Downer Seminary, Downer College and Milwaukee University School properties in the 1960s, according to the state.

This isn’t the first time the state has altered a university project bid. In 2024, the state pushed back the bid deadline for a $245 million health and science building project at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire by a month. Neenah-based Miron Construction won the low bid for general contractor.