The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) announced today that contracts were awarded for seven striping projects across West Virginia. The contracts were from bid lettings conducted on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 and Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Highway Safety Inc. was awarded two contracts totaling $334,635 each for recall roadway striping including in District 1 counties of Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Mason, and District 2 counties of Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, and Mingo.
Mid Atlantic Maintenance Inc. was awarded multiple contracts for recall roadway striping including in District 4 counties of Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, and Monongalia for $389,267.50. Mid Atlantic was also awarded the contracts let on Thursday, March 16, 2023, of recall striping in District 6 counties of Brooke, Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel for $369,292.50, and District 7 counties of Barbour, Braxton, Gilmer, and Lewis counties for $343,292.50.
Roadsafe Traffic Systems Inc. was awarded two recall roadway striping contracts including for District 8 counties of Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker totaling $309,590. That contract was from the March 16 bid letting. From the bid letting on March 14, Roadsafe Traffic Systems was awarded for striping work in District 5 counties of Grant, Hardy and Mineral counties totaling $313,605.
When the WVDOH contracts to have roads paved, the contract usually includes painting the stripes down the middle of the road. However, those stripes wear and fade over time, so it’s necessary to restripe them periodically. When that happens, WVDOH accepts bids for countywide restriping contracts.
For a list of construction projects awarded by WVDOH from the March bid lettings, click here.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.
As the date and time approach the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed, and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on the recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results of that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder with all proper documentation in place.