Sanford Dam Bidding Update

Four Lakes Task Force received construction bids from two qualified contractors in late April, as communicated in May ("Sanford Construction Bids Higher than Expected").
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We believe the bids were higher than expected and therefore both have now been rejected. After the bids, FLTF requested qualifications from construction managers to consult in pre-bidding tasks, including repackaging the work into smaller divisions and perhaps performing construction management. 

Spence Brothers based in Saginaw was selected to assist with pre-construction consulting. It was also determined that Fisher Contracting, the company that received the contracts for the restoration of Secord and Smallwood dams, offered a competitive bid on specific portions of the Sanford project. Therefore, some portions of the project, if approved by FLTF, can be performed by Fisher without another bid cycle. Over the next 30 days, FLTF will work with Spence Brothers to go through another round of bidding.
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EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) provided notice Monday that the permit for Sanford Dam restoration is available for public comment, with plans still to start construction this summer. We will share more details over the coming weeks.