Bids favorable for new Davis health building

FARMINGTON (Deseret News) — Officials in Davis County are cheering bids that were submitted Tuesday for the construction of a new home for the Davis County Health Department in Clearfield.

If the low bid, submitted by Ogden-based Wadman Corp., is accepted by commissioners, Davis County will save nearly $3 million from what it budgeted for the project.

Wadman offered the apparent low bid of $5.2 million out of 19 submitted to Davis County.

"I've never seen bidding like this," said Barry Burton, Davis County's planning director, who will oversee the building's construction.

The sagging economy is mostly credited with low construction prices and competitive bidding, as construction companies jockey for work.

The bulk of the bids were also in a tight range, Burton said, which reflects that bidders were serious about the project and giving their best bids.

"In this climate, everybody wants a project," he said.

Lewis Garrett, director of the Davis County Health Department, said not only will taxpayers save money by building a cheaper building, but the project will push needed money into the economy.

And Garrett's department will get a new building, which will consolidate the work of four buildings currently located in Farmington and Clearfield.

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