Conshohocken's public safety building at 1111 Fayette Street goes to bid in five prime contracts, with bids due December 9

What is out to bid

Five prime contracts, each with its own submission and pricing table on PennBid

The notice lists five prime contracts, and PennBid takes a separate submission and pricing table for each. PennBid names Contract No. 2 "Mechanical Construction," while the borough's notice calls it HVAC Construction. Bidders say which primes they intend to bid when they register on PennBid.

The posted package has two files, a specification book and a bid drawing set, both under the architect's project number 25-061. The architect is Alloy5 Architecture of Bethlehem. PennBid lists the job as an invitation for bids on a fixed fee contract. Reading the listing takes no account, but downloading the files and submitting a bid takes a free PennBid supplier account.

The schedule

Bids open in public at Borough Hall right after the 2:00 p.m. deadline on December 9

The site at 1111 Fayette Street is open for a walk-through by bidders, subcontractors and vendors from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 9, ahead of the pre-bid meeting. Questions are due on PennBid by 4:00 p.m. on December 2. Bids open in public at Borough Hall, 400 Fayette Street, right after the December 9 deadline, and PennBid will post the results. The notice says the borough will award the contracts "at a later date" and gives no award or construction schedule.

In March 2025 the borough asked for proposals from architects with fire and EMS facility experience for the building at 1111 Fayette Street. In December 2025 it told the public it had sent the state Department of Environmental Protection a remedial investigation report and cleanup plan for the former EF Moore Chevrolet property at 1109-1119 Fayette Street and 1201 Butler Pike in Whitemarsh Township. The October 7, 2026 council work session listed an update from Alloy5 and Resolution 2026-15, which would waive subdivision and land development review for the building.

On October 21, council's agenda carried both Ordinance 2026-03, on bonds of up to $15 million, and a motion to authorize the bid advertisement. The bond notice lists the development and design of a new public safety facility as the first of five purposes, alongside roads, a public works property, fire and EMS vehicles and the cost of issuing the bonds. The October 10 article on the bond ordinance covers its limits and repayment schedule.

Bonds, security and fees

Each bid carries security of 10% of the base bid, and each winner posts two bonds at 100% of the contract

Each bid needs bid security equal to 10% of the base bid, and PennBid asks for a bid bond PDF for every contract a firm bids. The firms that win must furnish a performance bond and a labor and material payment bond, each for 100% of the contract value. PennBid charges awarded bidders 0.33% of the bid amount, with a $100 minimum and a $5,000 maximum, plus tax.

The table below applies those percentages to round base bids. The amounts are examples, not estimates for any of the five contracts. The PennBid fee reaches its $5,000 cap at a bid of about $1.52 million.

The apparent low bidder and the next two lowest on each contract must deliver original signed bid documents to the architect within two business days of the opening, which puts the deadline at Friday, December 11, if the opening holds. The borough keeps the right to reject any or all bids, or any portion of a bid.

Prevailing wage and Act 101

Act 101 takes effect December 21, after the December 9 bid opening

The Department of Labor and Industry says prevailing wage applies to construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration or repair, other than maintenance, done under contract and paid for in whole or part by a public body when the project's estimated total cost is over $25,000. The department's FAQ lists off-site work and material suppliers who do not work at the site among the exclusions.

Act 101 of 2026 narrows that exclusion. The governor approved Senate Bill 908 on October 22, and the act takes effect in 60 days, which falls on December 21, after the bid opening and before any award date the borough has announced. The act adds custom fabrication to the definition of public work and covers workers who fabricate nonstandard goods off site specifically for a public project.

Fabrication workers get the prevailing rate for their trade in the county where the project sits, and their employers carry the same reporting duties as any subcontractor. The article on the House vote has the background.

The HVAC, electrical and plumbing primes on this job cover trades the act names.

Whether Act 101 reaches a contract bid before December 21 and signed after it could not be verified from the act or the department's pages.