Getting the Bid

Thornton Backhoe Service removes old sidewalk.

Ever since construction began in March of 2010 citizens have wondered why local contractors were not being used for the project. We would like to take this opportunity to explain how our contractors were selected. Additionally, we would like to set the story straight. While limited, some local contractors and workers have contributed to the restoration of the Greenwood Hotel Complex.

So how were contractors selected? To answer this we have to go back to how the project is financed. Due to the nature of the ARRA grant dollars involved in the project, the Greenwood Preservation Society became responsible for following strict guidelines for soliciting contractors. Furthermore, contractors were not selected; they had to win the bid process.

The bids for the general contractors were submitted to our architect, Bill Morris by whom all the bids were determined to be “qualified”. The "qualified" part is to insure that the bidder is capable of doing the work required on a historic restoration project. At that point the contract was awarded to the lowest "qualified" bid; by Accel.

The general contractor is then responsible for hiring the subcontractors. For example, Thornton Backhoe Service was subcontracted to do some digging where the new sidewalk would be installed. As with the contracting procedures, there are also various requirements when soliciting subcontractors; things such as a requirement for multiple bids for work over a certain amount and following Davis-Bacon wage requirements.

As previously mentioned, our funding sources were the ultimate determinant on how the general contractor was selected. Local contractors had the same opportunity to submit their bid for the job. While the general contractor is not local, we would like to mention that the community is still benefiting greatly by having Accel performing their contract. While here they spend money in our community contributing to the retail sales tax and the transient guest tax for hotel rooms. They have done a phenomenal job on the complex and we appreciate their efforts in our community.