HomeMy WebLinkAboutUtilities 2008-02-04 Item 3B - Discussion - Builders Exchange of Washington
INFORivIATION JVIEMORA1~DUlVI
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Mayor Haggerton
Public Works Directo~
January 22, 2008
Builders Exchange of Washington
ISSUE
Discuss on-line bidding using Builders Exchange of Washington (bxwa.com).
BACKGROUND
Public Works staff utilized online bidding via bxwa.com on several construction bids last year as part of a
pilot project to assess the value of this somewhat new method. It was determined that using online bidding
was a net benefit to the City.
In traditional construction bidding, the original plans and specifications are sent to a reprographics
company for printing (typically has been a set of 50, of which over a dozen get sent free of charge to plan
centers to encourage subcontractors and vendors to bid to prime contractors). We have typically charged
$50 per set, including postage (ranged from $4 to $20 to send out). This method had proven to be very
cumbersome for counter staff to collate, number, track and charge plan holders.
In this online bidding method, 1 copy of all plans and specifications are transmitted to bxwa.com, who
then scans and posts the information to their website for a nominal fee (around $100 for an average size
project). The City's Call for Bids directs the bidders to bxwa.com and Tukwila's portion of the website
for bidding. The bidder may print out documents to their own printer, or order document printing from a
printing company of their choice.
ANALYSIS
The savings to the City is more efficient use of front counter time. Plan holders lists are maintained by
bxwa.com. The City will reduce printing and postage expenditures as well. The benefits to the prime
bidders, subcontractors and vendors, is quicker and easier access to plans and specifications that result in
more competitive bid prices.
If any contractor, subcontractor or vendor approaches the City and demonstrates that they do not and
cannot access the internet, such arrangements will be made for them to obtain a full set of bid documents.
RECOMMENDATION
Endorse further use of online bidding.
Attachments: Project Posting Guidelines
Price Schedule
Information Package
P:\BOB\TC_UC\BXWA\Info Memo - Builders Exchange of Washington. doc
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3. Quality Control:
1. Following receipt of the documents by Builders Exchange of Washington, allow 24 hours for the initial project documents to appear
on-line. Allow 12 hours for addenda to appear on-line.
2. Within twenty four (24) hours after the project documents are available on-line, the "'rime Design Consultant's project manager and/or
the Public Agency's project manager shall review the on-line documents and notify Builders Exchange of Washington if there are any
required modifications, additions, or changes needed to the documents that have been posted on-line. This review is requested at
both the original project posting stage and following the posting of any issued addenda. In the event that a ,110dification is needed
following this review, a clarification or addenda shall be issued by the public agency (or prime design consultant) alerting potential
bidders of document modifications and or additions.
3. Prime Design Consultant's project manager and the Public Agency's project manager are encouraged to "Register" on-line in order to
receive emailnotification of addenda that are posted to the project's documents. Registration should occur at the time of review of the
initial project documents that are posted on-line.
4. Conditions Agreement & On-Line Plan Room Set-up:
If your Public Agency does not already have an on-line plan room with bxwa.com, the following set-up information is required:
1. Your Public Agency's logo.
Logo is used to announce to bidders that they have arrived at your agency's on-line plan room where documents can be accessed.
2. Conditions Agreement:
Your Public Agency's on-line plan room (including any linking to project documents from your Public Agency's own website) shall
include a 'Conditions Agreemenf, requiring user acknowledgement in order to gain access to the project documents. Conditions
Agreement shall include the following language:
1. Document clarity is dependent on the condition of original source documents and is not guaranteed.
2. BXWA and the Public Agency do not warrant programs or job images to be free from defects or errors, whether known or
unknown, existent or latent.
3. BXWA and the Public Agency do not warrant software or services provided by others in any manner, nor do they warrant
that any services or images are guaranteed for any other purpose.
4. BXWA and the Public Agency endeavor to provide accurate information with this service and the project information
provided on-line. However, errors or omissions may occur and users are advised not to rely completely on the accuracy of
the information. BXWA and the Public Agency disclaim any and aI/liability arising from inaccuracy or incompleteness of any
such information.
5. Access to project documents is provided for use by bidders (General Contractors/ Prime Bidders, Subcontractors and
Suppliers), Public Agency personnel, and the Public Agency's consultants only. Any other use is prohibited, except when
the named Public Agency uses this area as it's official/primary means for the issuance and distribution of its project bid
documents; whereupon "recognized" plan centers may be aI/owed access in order to print project documents for use in their
own physical plan center and/or to link to this project (and this Conditions Agreement) from their own on-line plan room.
"Harvesting" (downloading, copying, and transmitting) of any project information and/or project documents for purposes of
reselling and or redistributing information by any other party is not aI/owed.
6. Bidders are encouraged to "Register" on-line in order to receive automatic e-mail notification of addenda and to be placed
on the "Bidders Us!".
7. Bidders are ultimately responsible to investigate and acknowledge aI/ issued project addenda information, whether posted
on-line or not.
8. Acknowledgment below constitutes that user has received authorization from user's employer to access documents and
accept these conditions.
I Aaree
I Decline
5. Billing Information:
An itemized invoice will be mailed at the end of each month, recapping services provided during the previous month. Invoice will be
broken down Showing the charges for each posted project.
Provide the following information to Builders Exchange of Washington:
Agency name,
Address
Phone
Fax
Primary point of contact person
Thank you for utilizing Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc.'s services We encourage all departments I divisions of your Public Agency to
post their project bid documents to your Public Agency's on-line plan room area. This simple process will enable your agency to take full
advantage of the on-line traffic I project exposure made available to the construction I bidding community, that routinely visit bxwa.com's Public
Works area to investigate work opportunities.
P:\BOB\TC-,UC\BXWA\Project Posting Guidelines (9-l-ll6).doc
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On-Line Archiving Services
Effective 9/1/06
(For Public Agencies)
Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc. is pleased to announce I offer its new on-line archiving seNice.
Benefits:
· No more lost I misplaced paper documents or CD's.
· Better I more secure control.
· Improved coordination, efficiency & historic document access.
· Timely I concurrent access to as-built project information by multiple users.
· Eliminate dependency on expensive & labor-intensive "hard-copy" plan storage vaults.
· Access historic project information & job details for use during on-going building
maintenance, space planning, and future tenant improvement work.
· Instantaneously access completed like-kind jobs for use during design-development on future
projects.
Fees:
The following fee schedule provides our clientele with an "Archived Proiects" area within their own
unique on-line plan room, where previously posted project documents & as-builts can be stored
indefinitely. Project password protection or area password protection is available.
Monthlv Fee Proiect Size
$ 1.50 I per month I project
$ 3.50 I per month I project
0-500 images (plans + specs)
501 + images (plans + specs)
Conditions:
1. "Substantial Completion" has been attained.
2. Project has been continuously posted for 10 months or more. If not, archive fee will be
$25.00 I month for the first 10 months, before lower monthly fee is applied.
Scanning & Posting Fees:
Scan, Index, & Post new I additional documents to my "Archived Projects" area:
1. Plans (~11x17) $1.25 per sheet
2. Specifications (8.5 x 11) $0.25 per page
P:\BOB\TC_UC\BXWA\Price Schedule-Public Works (9-1-06).doc
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Public Agency
Information Package
September 1, 2006
Build(:TS. Exchange
of Washington .
Bid Document Distribution Services / On-line Plan Center
Thank you for allowing us to introduce Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc. (bxwa.com) to your organization. We
are certain you will find the features and cost savings associated with our services to be very compelling.
Our commitment to your agency is to provide "the most cost effective way for a Public Aaencv to distribute bid
documents and obtain the areatest number of competitive bids. in the shortest amount of time. at the lowest
possible cost II Because of this and our dedication to customer care and service, we welcome the opportunity to
act as your primary bid document distribution source for both major projects and your small works roster. We stand
ready to assist!
A bit more about who we are, what we do, and how we do it:
1. Company history
Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc. (bxwa.com) is a local, woman, & disabled U.S. Veteran owned
business based in Everett, Washington. Founded on over 27 years of experience and support to the
construction industry, its active walk-in plan center started in 1986 followed by the creation (addition) of its
on-line plan center (bxwa.com) in 1997. Our expertise includes firsthand knowledge in the estimating and
bidding process at both the General Contractor and Subcontractor level. Three of our key staff members
hold over 78 years experience in lead/chief estimator roles, where they bid / proposed on all project types
(commercial, industrial, civil, and residential); at both the General Contractor and Subcontractor level; and
on all forms of project delivery methods (LS, GMP, T&M, D-B, CM, GCCM). This firsthand expertise
provides a clear understanding and embracement of both an Owner's and Bidder's needs, culminating in a
service that is simple to use and access; especially at the SubcontractorNendors level which collectively
represents 80% to 90% of a Prime Bidder/General Contractor's $ bid amount to you. More bidders =
more competition = lower overall cost.
2. Overview of Services:
Builders Exchange of Washington is a full-service on-line plan center and walk-in plan center that
services both the private and public sector. Our growing list of clientele includes: State Agencies, Counties,
Municipalities, Port Authorities, D.O.T.'s, Higher Education Facilities, Owners, Developers, General
Contractors, Subcontractors, Vendors.
List of services includes:
1. Bid document distribution services & on-line plan rooms for Public Agencies; providing free and
unencumbered access to Public Agency bid documents by General Contractors, Subcontractors, and
Vendors.
2. Bid document distribution services & on-line plan rooms for General Contractors; providing free and
unencumbered access to GC bid documents by Subcontractors and Vendors.
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425) 258-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 http://www.bxwa.com
P:\BOBITC_UC\BXWAIPublic WorKs Info Package {9-1-<l6)_doc
6. State of Washington - Department of General Administration, Engineering & Architectural
Ser/ices Division. Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc. currently holds the only on-line plan center
service contract to provide a web server site for publishing Public Works bid packages on the Internet.
This state contract (No. 2007-001) for Electronic Bid Package Services was a competitively bid and won
contract that was awarded to Builders Exchange of Washington by the Washington State Department of
General Administration on July 21, 2006. We are pleased to have held the previous contract for these
ser,dces as well, having provided uninterrupted services to the State of Washington since May 2000.
Through the services we provide, E&A Services has obtained a "destination site" status on the Internet,
providing a common ground area where GCs, Subs, and Vendors go to view and procure work
opportunities that are solicited by the State of Washington.
7. References:
The following is a list of primarl contacts for a few of the public agencies that have their own unique on-
line plan room under bxwa.com:
Phone
Contact
206-521-1878 Ms. Kristine Erickson
425-452-7876
425-670-6602
425-257-8917
425-587-3827
360-786-5133
360-867-6041
425-348-7119
425-388-0606
253-428-8677
Ms. Mayvis Schwab
Ms. Nancy Woods
Mr. Bill Barrett
Mr. Quinn Golden
Mr. Doug Bramlette
Ms. Richard Davis
Mr. Roger Kee
Ms. Charlotte Walther
Ms. Ruby Harr
4. Access:
Title & Agency
Harborview Hospital Bond Program
University of Washington
Procurement Specialist, City of Bellevue
Manager of Purchasing, City of Lynnwood
Engineering Public Services, City of Everett
City Engineer, City of Kirkland
PE, Transportation, Thurston County
PE, Evergreen State College
Procurement Specialist, Community Transit
Contracts Administrator Port of Everett
Port of Tacoma
Today's market mandates that bidding information be accessible and useable immediately in order for the
most competitive bids to be realized.
Access to your bid documents is made available to Bidders (General Contractors, Subcontractors and
Vendors) free of charge with no geographical boundaries or time constraints. Bidders have the ability to
immediately access bid documents and commence the preparation of their bids I take-off on the same day
that they are informed about your project - no matter where they are located. Bids are solicited and obtained
from a far greater number of Bidders over traditional methods. Bidders are able to view and work with your
bid documents from the convenience of their office, home, or job site (2417), on a free of charge basis. This
empowers your Public Agency with the ability to solicit and obtain more and better bids from the General
ContractorlSubcontractorNendor community, which means more and better bids for you, and of course the
resident taxpayer.
Bid documents are accessed on the Internet by going to: www.bxwa.com. and clicking on "Posted
Projects", "Public Works", and the "Public Agency's nam~".A listing of all projects issued by that office
is displayed, by category (described below), bid date, and project name. Access can also be made available
(linked) through the Public Agency's own website as well.
A. "Projects Bidding"
This area is provided for posting of your bid documents (ITB's, Bid Packages, Instructions to
Bidders, Scope of Work, Project Schedule, Plans, Specifications, Addenda, Soils Reports, Special
Forms, etc.) used to procure bids. Bid documents for all project delivery methods may be posted
here, including but not limited to: Lump-Sum, GC/CM, CM, T&M, Design-Build, and RFP type
projects I bid solicitations.
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425) 258-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 http://'NWW.bxwa.com
P:\BOB\TC_UC\BXWAIPublicWorlu; Info Package (9-H16).doc
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6. Comparative Cost Savings:
Given a typical public works project, a ballpark cost comparison utilizing Builders Exchange of Washington,
Inc.'s service over the traditional method of distributing multiple sets of bid documents as follows.
Comparison basis = a Public Works project with 200 plan sheets, 1,000 page spec book, and 50 sets:
A. Traditional Method:
Using a traditional reprographics based entity (50 sets of paper bid doc's)
Print plans 200 sheets x 50 sets x $0.60 per sheet $6,000.00
Print specs 1,000 pages x 50 sets x $0.07 per page $3,500.00
Binding, hole punching, stapling, posts,covers, extras, etc. + $$$'s (not considered!)
Shipping, handling, and delivery! postage + $$$'s (not considered!)
Washington State Sales Tax (assume 8.6%) $ 817.00
Total Comparative Cost =
$10,317.00
B. Builders Exchange of Washington Method:
(currently utilized by multiple State of Washington agencies)
Using bxwa~com's on-line plan center (only 1 set of paper bid doc's needed)
Scan, Post, & Host plans 200 sheets x $1.25 per sheet $250.00
Scan, Post, & Host specifications 1,000 pages x $0.25 per page $250.00
Binding, hole punching, stapling, posts, covers, extras, etc. 0.00 (not required!)
Shipping, handling, and delivery! postage 0.00 (not required!)
Washington State Sales Tax 0.00 (not required!)
Total Comparative Cost =
$ 500.00
$ 9.817.00
Single Project Savings =
Bid Solicitations / year
x24
Typical Annual Public Agency Savings
1$235,608.0~
7. Commonly Asked Questions:
A. Describe company owned copyrights and trademarks relating to electronic bid
document distribution.
Builders Exchange of Washington is the founder, creator. and owner of "FastBid", the world's fastest
plan viewer-imaging system. This copyright protected software is the foundation upon which Builders
Exchange of Washington's on-line plan center has been built. Fastbid enables bidders to view, access,
print, and work with bid documents on the Internet in a manner that is fast, convenient, and user friendly.
Extensive training is not required, enabling bidders to be up and running (estimating) immediately. Ease of
use and accessibility enables a Public Agency and General Contractors (or Prime Bidders) to obtain greater
participation (bidding) by the Subcontractor and Vendor community, which in turn, results in a greater
competitive bid environment and lower bid prices back to the Public Agency
B. Delivery of documents to Builders Exchange of Washington for posting.
Delivery of bid documents to! from Builders Exchange of Washington is performed by the posting agency.
Documents may be delivered to Builders Exchange of Washington in one of two ways: 1. Electronically
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425) 258-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 http://www.bxwa.com
P:\BOBITC_UC\BXWAIPublic Works Info Package (9-1-06).doc
0")"
F. Describe how addenda distributed and the receipt thereof is tracked.
Addenda information is distributed in the same manner as the base bid documents, where Builders
Exchange of Washington provides a central point for access to all of the bidding information issued prior to
the bid date and bid time.
It is commonly recognized among General Contractors I Prime Bidders that the acknowledgment of all
addenda is imperative in order to be considered a responsive bidder. It is the Prime Bidders responsibility to
ascertain whether the SubcontractorNendor bids that they receive are pertinent to the bid documents,
whether the SubcontractorNendor bidding acknowledges addenda information or not.
Traditional methods of distributing addendum information previously fell to the selected sole-source
reprographics house that would mail out the addenda information to those bidders that were on the plan
holders list. However, when a web site is used to distribute documents, anyone that accesses the bid
documents, has the ability to return repeatedly to the site to check for any subsequent addendums that
might be issued before the project bids.
To facilitate the addenda notification process, Builders Exchange of Washington's on-line plan center
provides an automated email feature that sends Prime Bidders, Subcontractors and Vendors (that previously
filled out an optional simple registration) an email notifying them that new documents have been posted to
the project site. This simple process facilitates the generation of SubcontractorNendor bids without
imposing onerous registration and login requirements in order to accommodate unwarranted explicit tracking
data. Eliminating bottlenecks and knocking down hurdles is key to Prime Bidders being able to seek and
obtain the greatest number of SubcontractorNendor bids possible.
G. How are hard copies made available to the end users? Describe the number and
locations of reproduction centers you work with.
Bidders are no longer saddled with the costlinconvenience of waiting for paper bid doc's to be delivered to
them, while eliminating the traditional Public Agency's expense to print paper bid documents (whether
on a refundable deposit or not) in order to obtain competitive bid quotations. Even though Builders
Exchange of Washington is not in the paper printing business, bidders may still obtain paper bid documents
in an affordable and convenient manner. The GC I Subcontractor I Vendor has the ability to choose when,
where, and how to print bid documents - whether a few select sheets or the entire bid package. Bidders
have the convenience to print to their own printer/plotter or obtain copies via overnight delivery from
one of hundreds of reprographic houses (throughout the United States) utilizing the on-line print
order form. There are no hidden costs, junk fees, pay per look I addenda fees, buy the whole set, or
exorbitant charges commonly associated with sole-source reprographic houses. Reprographic houses
actually find themselves in the unusual position of having to compete against each other to print the GC I
Subcontractor I Vendor's print order!
H. What are the minimum hardware requirements for the end user?
233 Mhz CPU, 64 MB RAM, Windows 98 or newer
1024 x 768 hi-color video recommended
24 Kbuad or higher internet connection.
i. Which internet browsers support bxwa.com & FastBid?
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
Netscape 7.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or higher
J. What is the minimum internet connection speed required by an end user to
navigate our site easily and quickly?
With a little patience 24 Kbuad works. 44 Kbaud recommended. 184 Kbaud or faster broadband works
excellent. The FastSid system puts images on our server in a special format to allow for progressive
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425) 258-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 htto:/Iwww.bxwa.com
P:\BOBITC_UC\BXWAlPublic Works Info Pad<age (9-1-06).doc
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using paper bid documents that they can easily and cost effectiveJy obtain as weil. When takeoff
measurements are produced rrcm on-line drawings, they can be copied via the standard copy and paste
clipboard into any estimating system running along side FastBid. Also FastBid's download function can be
used to save the 'mages to the hard-drive for use in other estimating systems which have their own takeoff
systems. They are saved in industry standard group 4-compressed tiff files.
P. Can the end user quantify the project on-line?
Yes. Toe use of our unique and simple to use on-Une digitizer provides Bidders with the ability to view and
work with bid documents on-iine without the unnecessarj time and expense associated with paper bid
documents. Estimators are provided with a too! that enables them to quantify a project ina fraction of the
time over traditional wheel/tape/scale methods. Estimators often find that it eliminates their need to print
paper bid documents all together.
Q. Can the end user do accurate take offs from posted drawings?
Yes. As with paper bid documents (plan sheets) a prudent estimator will always check to make sure that
they are utilizing the correct scale when preparing their quantity surveys including with on-line documents.
Accuracy is also a function of whether drawings have been correctly prepared / drawn as well. From time to
time, seasoned estimators will perform independent tests to confirmlverify that take-off quantities are
accurate, when quantities are generated by a digitizer rather than from tedious time-consuming hand
calculations that can be generated from given dimensional data. One such independent test was brought to
our attention by two senior estimators with Howard S. Wright Construction Co.. They performed an
independent quantity survey test on a large complicated biotech structure that they had competitively bid
and won. The quantity they generated using bxwa.com's on-line digitizer was within 0.01 % of a hand
calculation generated from the actual dimensions stated on the structural plans. They deemed bxwa.com's
digitizer to produce "bulls-eye" quantities on that particular project.
R. What are compatible end user estimating systems?
Our site is compatible with all estimating systems utilized by the construction industry,.including but not
limited to: Winest, MC2, Timberline. Bid-Tech, Excel Spreadsheets, and of course traditional hand-
generated estimates to name offew. On-line bid documents can also be downloaded and uploaded to
specialized take-off programs that are utilized by various building trades to perform their take-offs.
Our site has also been used to augment and or replace complicated project management systems.
S. Are there special printer requirements for the end user to be able to print?
FastBid has full support for printing on virtually any printer. It has support to print at partial scale, even tiling
on multiple sheets when necessary.
T. Describe your end user I customer support.
Any end user can contact us by phone on a free of charge basis by calling us at 425-258-1303. When a
person calls us during standard work hours (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST), they will be able to communicate
with a live human being that will address their needs.
Our staff conducts monthly training and education classes at our training /conference facility in Everett,
Washington.
Staff members also conduct Training/education presentations at public agency facilities in order to maximize
attendance by public staff members.
U. Describe your on-line infrastructure.
Builders Exchange of Washington's on-line plan center is in the process of upgrading its infrastructure to
include five (5) terabyte web servers to support and enhance the availability of its service to both the public
and private sector.
Builders Exchange of Washington is now connected to its main server cabinet, (co-located at FiberCloud in
Everett and Bellingham) via gigabit fiber optic cabling.
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425) 8-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 http://www.bxwa.com
P:\BOBITC_UC\BXWAIPublic Works Info Package (9-1-06).doc
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l?ujlgers Exchange
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PUBLIC AGENCY
INVITATION TO BID / BID ADVERTISEMENT EXAMPLE
Recommended text to be included in:
1. Newspaper bid advertisements (i.e., Daily Journal of Commerce, Public
Notice Section - Ca/ffor Bids)
2. Project Specifications - Invitation to Bid
Plans, specifications, addenda, and plan holders list for this project are
available on-line through Builders Exchange of Washington, Inc. at
http://www.bxwa.com.Clickon:..bxWa.com..; "Posted Projects"; "Public
Works", "Your Public Agency's Name", "Projects Bidding".
(Note: Bidders are encouraged to "Register as a Bidder" in order to receive
automatic em ail notification of future addenda and to be placed on the "Bidders
List'. This service is provided free of charge to Prime Bidders, Subcontractors,
& Vendors bidding this project.
Features: No downloading required; time saving on-line digitizer / take-off tools;
automatic addenda notification; view and or print plans, details, & specifications
without wait/down time at your own desk top printer, plotter, or from multiple
reprographic houses utilizing on-line print order form. Contact Builders
Exchange of Washington at 425-258-1303 should you require further
assistance.)
2607 Wetmore Avenue - Everett, WA 98201
(425)258-1303 or (425) 743-3244 Fax (425) 259-3832 htto://www.bxwa.com
P:\BOB\TC_UC\BXWAIPubliCWorks Info Pacl<age (9-1-06).doc
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