Federal agency points bidders to insurance rules for Far North Bicentennial bridge job

The Federal Highway Administration's Western Federal Lands Highway Division answered a bidder's question about insurance Tuesday in a second question-and-answer document for its construction bid on a new Campbell Creek trail bridge and boardwalks in Anchorage's Far North Bicentennial Park. Bids are due Dec. 1 at 2 pm Pacific time.

The bidder said the insurance requirements were missing from the uploaded bid documents and asked for them, and whether builder's risk insurance, coverage for damage to a project while it is under construction, is required. The agency's answer points to the insurance section of its federal standard specifications for road and bridge construction. It does not say whether builder's risk coverage is required.

The document also repeats the agency's answer from its first Q&A, posted Nov. 3: it does not keep a list of firms that have obtained bid documents and points bidders to the Interested Vendor List on SAM.gov.

Under the solicitation, base work replaces the North Gasline Bridge with an 80-foot prefabricated steel bridge over Campbell Creek and adds a 61-foot boardwalk along the North Gasline Trail. An option would add a 51-foot boardwalk. Base work must finish by Aug. 10, 2027. Project plans call for closures near the Tank Trail and leashed dogs in the park's off-leash zone during the work.

The project is a sealed-bid invitation for bids, a format in which bidders submit prices without negotiation and the contract goes to the lowest qualified bidder. The agency will pick the apparent low bidder by combining the base work with the optional work. The bid is open to all firms, with a preference for small businesses based in Historically Underutilized Business Zones, federally designated areas meant to steer contracts toward businesses in economically distressed communities. The agency estimates the work at $700,000 to $2 million.