26-002-LH grand opera house renovation (8/14/25)

Macon-Bibb County, Georgia issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB) numbered 26-002-LH for the comprehensive renovation of the Grand Opera House, a historic Type III-B assembly building located at 651 Mulberry Street in Macon. The project scope encompasses renovation of basement-level and stage-level dressing rooms with electrical, plumbing fixtures, flooring, paint, and cabinetry; addition of one ADA-compliant bathroom; and repair or replacement of all original exterior doors and frames, affecting approximately 2,465 square feet of the facility. Bidders were required to submit sealed bids to the Macon-Bibb County Procurement Department by 12:00 noon on August 14, 2025, with a mandatory pre-bid conference held on July 30, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Grand Opera House Lobby; attendance at the pre-bid conference was mandatory for bid submission eligibility. The deadline for submitting questions was Friday, August 1, 2025, by 3:00 p.m., directed to Laura Hardwick at Lhardwick@maconbibb.us. Required bid submittals included a Bid Form, Bidder's Qualification Form, List of Sub-Contractors, Minority Participation Goal statement, Financial & Legal Stability Statement, a 5% Bid Bond, Insurability Statement, Certification Regarding Debarment/Suspension/Ineligibility, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Macon-Bibb County Vendor Application, IRS Form W-9, and E-Verify Affidavit. Evaluation was based on lowest responsive bid price, with Macon-Bibb County reserving the right to award to county businesses within 5% of the lowest responsive bid price under a local preference provision. The selected contractor was required to execute Performance and Payment Bonds, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Sum, within ten days of award notification, and to submit quarterly Subcontractor/Supplier Participation Reports to the Office of Small Business Affairs.

Minority, Women Owned, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (M/W/DBE) were actively encouraged to participate in the solicitation and to use M/W/DBE subcontractors where possible; small and disadvantaged businesses requiring assistance could contact Charise Stephens, Small Business Affairs, at (478) 300-2297 or cstephens@maconbibb.us. No incumbent vendor was identified in the procurement documents, and the project was funded through SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) revenues. The bid tabulation revealed six responsive bidders with proposals ranging from $641,100.00 to $866,383.00, representing a mix of local non-minority owned, non-local non-minority owned, and local minority-owned businesses. Turner Construction Management LLC was awarded the contract at the lowest responsive bid price of $641,100.00 on August 29, 2025. The project incorporated a modified work schedule accommodating operational events and facility constraints, with alternating periods of full access and limited stage-level or ground-level access during specified event dates throughout the renovation timeline. Contractors were required to maintain insurance coverage and ensure compliance with the 2018 International Building Code with Georgia Amendments, 2018 International Fire Code, Life Safety Code, and ADA Standards for Accessible Design.