Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-03-06 | Page 14 | Will Save Money by Contract Work

Will SI 1H BY COKTRACT WORK Bids Submitted Give Lower Figures Than Those of Department Fears of city officials that it would cost more to lay water mains under contract than by day labor under the direction of the water department were dispelled, yesterday when bids for thc blanket contract on waterworks extensions exten-sions for the first half of the present year were compiled by tho city engineer, it was discovored that the low bidders had offered to do tho work at figures actually less than it has cost under tho direction of tho water department. Ten bids for tho blanket contract, based on approximate quantities, wore opened by the city commission yesterday yester-day and referred to the citv engineer lo be compiled. Tho exact figures had not boon dctenninod. on all the bids last night, but enough had been douo to show a material reduction in the cost the city will have to boar. The A. C." Bird company and the Continental Con-tinental Contracting conipan' arc thc lowest bidders, each having entered a bid that approximates $4S,U00, figured on an estimate of tho amount of work that will have to bo done under tho contract. Their bids were for G6 cents a foot on laying tho mains, as compared to 90 and 9o cents, tho prevailing prices several years ugo before tho city started laying its own mains. During tho last two years the water department has laid its extension mains without contract and effected a saving of about $11,000 a year as compared to thc cost under tho contract system. When tho supreme court ruled tliat it would bo necessary for the city to lot contracts for this work the city officials wcro greatly disappointed, bolioving that this saving would bo impossible undor thc contract plan. However, the bids opened yesterday show au oven greater reduction in cost than tho water department depart-ment was able to effect.