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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Ian Wade, Capital Projects Manager
DATE: March 24, 2025
SUBJECT:
A resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to execute change orders to the contracts with Electric Conduit Construction (ECC) and Platt Electric in the combined amount of $150,000 for the relocation of existing electrical infrastructure from vaults located under the sidewalk along Broadway from Benton Street to New York Street.
PURPOSE:
To increase the contract amounts to allow ECC and Platt to complete the remaining electrical infrastructure relocation work from vaults located under the sidewalk along Broadway from Benton to New York.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the upcoming Broadway Streetscape/Reconstruction project, the City has begun infilling thirty six under-sidewalk utility vaults along the three blocks of Broadway from Benton to New York. Before many of these vaults can be infilled, all existing electrical service equipment that is currently located within the vaults must be relocated to the adjacent basement of the respective buildings.
The City solicited bids from contractors for this relocation work in December 2023 but received no bids in response to the published request. Following this failed attempt to award this relocation work to one contractor, the City elected to conduct a site visit with three contractors (Aurora Wire and Fixutre (AWF), ECC, and Platt Electric) that had expressed interest in the project. Due to the facts that the pricing received from all three contractors was reasonably similar (all within 15% of each other) and the City needed to get this work completed in a timely manner to not impede the overall progress of the Broadway project, the work was divided evenly among the three contractors via Resolution passed by City Council on April 9, 2024. Since the precise scope of work required within each vault was not yet determined by ComEd at the time of that Resolution, the three initial Purchase Orders were opened for a combined total of $450,000 and indicated that the City may request that individual vaults within the scope of any given contractor be performed by one of the other contractors based on availability, staffing, or lead times of equipment.
The total combined value of work performed and invoiced by these contractors to date is $409,356.78, with the balance to be performed upon completion of pre-requisite work within the Right-of-Way by ComEd (pending issuance of a permit by the Illinois Department of Transportation, who owns and operates Broadway as IL Route 25).
DISCUSSION:
Following extensive time and effort from ComEd, city staff, and the three contractors over the remainder of 2024, the extremely variable scope and cost of services in each of the twenty-seven buildings that require electrical relocation and/or reconnection resulting from an adjacent vault relocation has been updated. During that time, it was also mutually agreed upon by all parties that the nine (9) locations originally awarded to AWF would be handled by Platt Electric due to work load and equipment lead time issues with AWF. As a result, the updated and ongoing scopes of work for the remaining two contractors are estimated at $234,590 for ECC at ten (10) locations and $327,480 for Platt Electric at seventeen locations, for a combined estimated total of $562,070.
While we are confident that the majority of the electrical work required has been included with this updated scope, the City is requesting an additional $37,930 in contingency funds to cover any additional costs which may be encountered including, but not limited to, replacement of any additional deteriorated/corroded materials, asbestos abatement, and aesthetic restoration within the basement spaces. This amount would increase the total combined contract amount for these two contractors to $600,000, which results in a requested change order in the amount of $150,000. These agreements are part of the approved 2025 CIP A055 and will be paid using account 340-1830-465.73-76, which has a current balance of $4,308,124.93.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Failure to relocate the electrical services in a timely manner will delay the infilling of the vaults and subsequently the Broadway project as a whole
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I request the proposed resolution be adopted.
cc: Infrastructure & Technology Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to execute change orders to the contracts with Electric Conduit Construction (ECC) and Platt Electric in the combined amount of $150,000 for the relocation of existing electrical infrastructure from vaults located under the sidewalk along Broadway from Benton Street to New York Street.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City authorized contracts for up to three contractors to relocate electrical service from all remaining under-sidewalk vaults along Broadway from Benton Street to New York Street for a combined total not to exceed $450,000; and
WHEREAS, one of the three contractors voluntarily withdrew from the project due to work load and equipment lead time issues; and
WHEREAS, based on extensive investigations and scoping by ComEd, city staff, and the two remaining contractors; an updated combined scope of services for work at twenty-seven vault locations has now been estimated to cost $600,000 ($562,070 plus $37,930 in contingency funds); and
WHEREAS, the additional $150,000 will be funded from account 340-1830-465.73-76 as part of the approved 2025 CIP A055; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: The Director of Purchasing is authorized to execute change orders to the contracts with Electric Conduit Construction (ECC) and Platt Electric in the combined amount of $150,000 for the relocation of existing electrical infrastructure from vaults located under the sidewalk along Broadway from Benton Street to New York Street.