St. Louis Park has officially opened its coffers, inviting bids for a citywide lighting upgrade project. With a deadline of 10 a.m. on June 6, the electronic doors of BidVAULT will close and the future of city lights will be sealed, according to details released by the City of St. Louis Park.
Contractors eyeing a slice of municipal work will have to move quickly to prepare their bids through BidVAULT, the mandated platform for bid submission. Having trouble? Call the engineering department at 952.924.2656 and they’ll iron out the wrinkles, the city's notice stated.
The project's shopping list reads like a luminaire lover's dream: 89 ea remove lighting unit, a mix of Bemidji and Octagon Stainless light poles ranging from 16 to 32 feet, each promising to push the city's glow into the future. But those who dream of lighting up St. Louis Park will need to keep an eye on the clock. All work, the city makes clear, must meet scheduled deadlines without fail.
Any interest in the contracts will cost bidders a flat $25 fee, with bid documents available for perusal at the city's OneOffice site. Firms are required to not just be listed plan holders but also to back their bid with a bond of at least 5% percent of their bid total, ensuring they have skin in the game, the city's invitation for bids specifies.
In a move to equalize the playing field, the City of St. Louis Park wants all to know that this is more than a lighting project—it's a beacon for civil rights. With Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as its guiding light, the city "will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in consideration for an award" as per the notice viewable on their website. The city's firm stance sends a clear message: equality and fairness are just as important as the volts and watts that will soon course through the city's veins.
