“Whidbey General Hospital will request new proposals for its expansion and remodeling project, after both proposals received by the June 28 deadline were too high. Public hospital districts commissioners are required by state law to reject all bids if none comes in at or below the construction cost estimates specified by the architect and pre-approved by commissioners. The low bid – $4.3 million – came from Dawson Construction Company of Bellingham. Neither Dawson nor the other bidder, Haskell Construction, knew the amount pre-approved by the board. However, the fact that none of the bids came in at or below the specified amount has caused the hospital board and administrators to review the project and revise the scope of the bid slightly. The changes include doing more work per project phase to decrease the length of time until completion, and not moving the respiratory therapy department, said Scott Rhine, hospital chief executive officer. Neither change will affect patient services, Rhine said. Asked whether the bids were too high or if the amount allowed by the board was too low, Rhine said an independent Seattle construction management firm had said that the board’s pre-approved amount had been reasonable. However, the length of time required to complete the project in phases, so as to not interrupt patient services during the expansion and remodel, was proving to be a stumbling block in the contractors’ ability to provide an estimate in line with the original figure. It’s kind of like when you sell your house, Rhine said. You think you know what it’s worth until someone buys it. Aside from changing some of the bid specifications, the hospital district commissioners also approved a new, higher-dollar amount for the project at its meeting Monday night, Rhine said. The new bid estimate, however, is not for publication until new bids are received, he said. Revised bid specifications will be available July 25 to interested contractors. Revised bids will be due on Aug. 15, probably at 3 p.m., Rhine said, and they will then be opened. We hope that both Dawson and Haskell (will re-bid), Rhine said. Both contractors have good references, he said. If an acceptable proposal comes in during this next bid process, construction should begin in early September, Rhine said. Once we have the bid, we sit down with the contractor to discuss the start date.You can reach News-Times reporter Christine Smith at csmith@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611 “