Code No. 801.6

Buildings and Sites

Bids/Awards for Construction Contracts

The board supports economic development in Iowa, particularly in the district community.  Construction contracts shall be made in the school district community, or in Iowa from Iowa based companies, if the bids submitted are comparable in total cost considerations to those submitted by other bidders.  The board shall have the authority to approve or retain construction contracts.

Public, competitive sealed bids are required for construction projects, including renovation and repair, with a cost exceeding the statutory minimums required by law.  The public, competitive sealed bid requirement is waived in the case of emergency repairs when the repairs are necessary to prevent the closing of a school.  The AEA administrator will certify that the emergency repairs are necessary to prevent the closing of a school.  The superintendent will comply with the competitive quote process for those projects subject to the competitive quote law.  The superintendent will determine the process for obtaining quotes for projects below the competitive quote limit.  The board shall approve the quote for the project.

The award of construction contracts will, generally, be made to the lowest responsible bidder.  The board in its discretion, after considering the total costs of construction, including, but not limited to, the cost of the construction, availability of service and/or repair, completion date, and other factors deemed relevant by the board, may choose a bid other than the lowest bid.  The board shall have the right to reject any or all bids, or any part thereof, to waive formalities, and to enter into such contract or contracts as shall be deemed in the best interests of the school district.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent for construction contract bids to make a recommendation and the reason for it to the board.  A contract which has been awarded may be cancelled by the board upon the recommendation of the superintendent.

Legal Reference:        Iowa Code Chapters 72; 73; 73A.2, .18; 297.7-8 (2005).

Cross Reference:       700 Series     Purchasing - Bidding

                                    700 Series     Requisitions

                                    700 Series     Receiving Goods and Services

                                    800 Series     Facilities Surveys

                                    800 Series     Requests for Improvements

Approved:    May 8, 1989            

Reviewed:    February 23, 2009  

Revised:       February 20, 2007