Minden Uses Competitive Bidding with Alternate Pipe Materials on Large Diameter Regional Water System Work

In a proactive approach to solving the regional water needs south of the Reno, NV area, a proposed regional water intertie system is being constructed to supply and distribute water to the communities of Carson City, Indian Hills, and Douglas County from the Town of Minden. These systems will comprise more than 20 miles of large diameter (18-36") transmission main installed throughout the systems and communities. The Town of Minden has upgraded their distribution system to accommodate the need to move large volumes of water throughout their system to discharge points for their wholesale customers. The Town has installed more than 6 miles of large diameter (18-36") transmission main to accommodate the needs for Phase I improvements. In total, there were four sub-projects created to complete the work. Each sub-project utilized a competitive bid with multiple pipe materials, as well as separate pipe procurement procedures to gain the best pricing on piping that would meet the design intent of the project. This resulted in two of the projects utilizing PVC pipe and two of the projects utilizing ductile iron pipe. The materials procurement was viewed as a success in terms of the overall project and the benefits specifically to the Town of Minden. The Town saved substantial money and the arrangement did not adversely affect the design, quality of construction, or the end product. Contractor response to the separate material procurement was mixed. Some appreciated not having to worry about the material supply, delivery and management. Others wanted the flexibility of those options along with the flexibility to choose the materials and supplier they wished to work with.