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Last update:07/19/01



Badge of honor for exceptional contribution to "Dumbstruck" category.

16. Bernards Twp. NJ, 2001 Roadway Cracksealing. Engineer: In house. Bid Date:07/30/01

Proposal Page #6 reads:

"All unbalanced bids or pennied unit prices will rejected"

What makes this very funny is the fact that this bid has only one pay item. How do you make a one item proposal unbalanced? 

Mel, So.Plainfield NJ

15. EWR-154.138, Parking Lot At 13A Interchange. Bid Date:07/11/01

General note 7. on plans page T1 reads:

"All signs shall be mounted facing the direction of the traffic that they are intended to serve."

Yes, and ice works best when frozen. 

14. Newark International Airport, North Area Drainage Improvements, Brewster Road. PANYNJ Bid: 04/25/01. Specifications by the owner.

Section 19 on page 32, Adjustments of Lump Sum reads:

If any Work required by the Contract Drawings and Specifications in their present form shall be countermanded or reduced, the Engineer shall have full authority on behalf of both parties to make such adjustments by way of reduction in the LUMP SUM as he may in his sole discretion deem equitable and reasonable, and in making such adjustment, no allowance to the Contractor shall be made for anticipated profits. 

Here is something new -  the engineer can act on behalf of the owner and the contractor. Should we bend over now??

13. Rahway High School Parking Lot Resurfacing. Architect: Faridy Veisz Fraytak P.C. Trenton NJ.
      Bid: 03/08/01

General note#2 on page SD-2 reads:

" As noted in the report of existing pavement repair and evaluation in the specification, there are several localized areas of distress in the main parking lot. ................Bidders shall visit the site to observe and measure distressed areas prior to submitting their Bid. Included with the bid shall be the total area in square yards that the bidder intends to patch based on their own measurements."

This is vintage Dumbstruck. The architect knows the extend of pavement repair but he allows the contractor to decide what is to be repaired and how much of this repair should be included in his bid? Is this guy serious. This is a competitive, public bid where every bidder should be bidding on the same work and same quantities. And how would the owner feel about it if there were 1000 sy of pavement in need of repair but the contractor "intends" to repair only 10 sy. Why would this architect go through trouble of producing a report on areas of pavement distress with out quantifying of necessary repairs??? Dumbstruck.

12. Montgomery Twp. Mill Pond Soccer Field Renovation. Bid Date: 02/16/01

Cover page to addendum # 2 reads:

"Please note the attached addendum #2...... You should of rec'd Addendum #1 yesterday via fax. Please call me if you have not rec'd Addendum # 1 or Addendum #2.

Translation: If you are not here please raise your hand. 

11. Township of Piscataway, Reconstruction of Centennial Ave., Engineer: In House, Bid Date:02/07/01

Specifications for Miiling 3" thick on page 26 read:

"This item shall include the milling of and stockpiling of pavement as require, as shown on the plans and as bid in the proposal. Non of the aforementioned millings shall be used for any purpose, including backfill on this site."

Why stockpile millings if they are not to be used on site. Truck it off site. 

10. Borough of Lincoln Park NJ. Lanes Field Improvements. Engineer: Spillane Engineering, Randolph NJ. Bid Date: 01/24/01

Specifications for Turfgrass Establishment-Sod on page TS-21&22 reads:

"The contractor should be responsible for maintenance until it is"(sod)" firmly rooted and accepted by the Engineer or its designated representative. In the event the required maintenance period extends beyond 30 days, the Contractor will be responsible for fertilizing, weeding, and other pest control if required in addition to watering and mowing."

This is a new one. If I was the engineer I would never accept the sod and the Borough could completely eliminate Public Works Department.  In fact this is an ingenious way to eliminate all maintenance. Brilliant !!

9. Hunterdon County. Resurfacing of Routes 512 & 517. Engineering: In House. Bid Date: 12/21/00

Specifications section 208 - Subbase under Basis of Payment:

"Separate payment will not be made for the roadway excavation, placing and finishing compacting required for use of millings as subbase. Payment for said work will, however, be paid for in the roadway excavation..." 

 Here is my translation:  Roadway excavation will be paid for-not, maybe, could be, possibly, probably not. 

8. Union County NJ. Soccer Field Construction. Engineer: Harbor Consultants Inc. Bid Date: 04/06/99

Specifications for Item # 8 Grass Seeding reads: 
"Loft's Athletic Field Mixture @ 6 lb/sf"

Six pounds per square foot??? One would need 261,360 lb or 130.68 tons just to seed one Acre. Actually 130.68 tons of seed is enough to seed 1,005.2 acres.

7. Middlesex County Educational Services Commission, Bright Beginning School Parking Area Renovation
Bid Date: 06/27/00, Engineer: The Raynolds Group Inc, Raritan NJ

Under Typical Storm Line Trench  detail on page SP-7 note # 1 reads:

"If contractor increases trench width, he is to re-compute and submit for approval by the engineer all pipe classes."

Why would the trench width adjustment result in the change of the pipe strength requirement? The pressure on the pipe is only effected by the depth, never by the width of the trench. This is Engineering 101.   

6. Twp. of Metuchen, NJ, 2000 Road Program.
Bid Date: 04/25/00. Engineer: T&M Associates, Middletown NJ.

Various sections of the job specifications list the following.:

1. Separate payment will not be made for Maintenance and Protection of traffic.
2. Separate payment will not be made for Traffic Control Coordinator.
3. No separate payment shall be made for Clearing Site.
4. No separate payment will be made for Roadway Excavation.
5. No separate paymentr shall be made for preparation of roadbed.
6. Separate payment will not be made for pavement removal, tack coat and/or prime coat.
7. No separate payment will be made for topsoiling.
8. No separate payment will be made for fertilizing and seeding.
9. No separate payment shall be made for the work involved in Restoration and Cleaning-Up.

In accordance with NJDOT specifications every item listed above should have a separate pay item. This is an ongoing trend among consulting engineers who elect not to do any work before or after the bid by putting out unit price proposals which more and more resemble Lump Sum bids.
Providing appropriate pay items for all items of work protects the owner who should insist on it.

5.Uniun Tonship NJ, Improvement to Rosemont Ave. North
Bid Date: 03/10/200, Engineer: In House

Specifications, section entitled Damage On Account Of Storms and High Water, reads:

"The Contractor will hold himself responsible for all damage done to his work by storms, heavy rains, floods, leakage, ground water and cave-ins"

No problem any good estimator should know how to  predict an "Act Of God".

4. Union County College, Elizabeth Campus Parking Lot. Bid date: 11/01/99  Engineer:Keller & Kirpatrick Inc. of Parsippany NJ.

Under Extension of Time, section VII  on page ASCC-6 Table A

Let us get this straight.  An average month has 21 work days. If because of weather limitations the contractor is limited to 15 days of work he loses 6 days but the owner is willing to extend the contract only by  1 day? Who was the mathematician to come up with this equation?

3. City of Summit NJ. 1999 Overlay Project. Engineer: In house

Section # 5 Concrete reads:

"Concrete for this work shall have a maximum water content of six gallons per sack of Portland cement, including the free water contained in the aggregates.

2. Princeton Airport NJ. Construction of Runway 10-28. Engineer: C&S Engineering, Syracuse NY- Bid: Summer 1999

Specifications for Item P-153 Cold Milling Exidting Pavement reads:

"In case of partial removal, the Contractor shall employ milling equipment complete with automatic grade control features."....." Accuracy shall be maintained within plus zero and minus 1/8-inch of the specified grade."

1. Union County NJ. Soccer Field Construction. Engineer: Harbor Consultants Inc. Bid Date: 04/06/99

Specifications for Item # 4 Furnish And Place Fill Material reads:

"Fill material shall not contain stones larger than 1/2" in the largest diameter, broken concrete, masonry rubble, or other similar materials. Snow, ice and frozen materials shall not be permitted. "