Five Companies Submit Bids To Build Sandwich's New Boardwalk

The bids were opened on Wednesday morning and were discussed briefly with the board of selectmen last night.

Town Manager George H. (Bud) Dunham said the bids will be reviewed by consulting engineers, and ultimately all the bidders will undergo background checks.

“We have sufficient funds for the boardwalk,” Mr. Dunham said. “We have $2.6 million from the infrastructure bond and ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds to make up the difference.”

Mr. Dunham was referring to a Town Meeting vote in 2018 supporting an $8 million debt exclusion—to fix deteriorating roads and repair the storm-torn boardwalk—by temporarily raising taxes.

The selectmen last night did not have much to say about the boardwalk bids because little was known about the companies vying for the work.

Selectmen Shane T. Hoctor and Michael J. Miller said they were surprised by the disparity of the estimates.

The companies bidding on the work are all local companies, according to an internet search.

The low bidder, Thomas Pappas of Cape Cod Builders, is located in Bourne.

Although the company does not have a website, it is described by Buzzfile, a business information data base, as a general contractor operating for nine years and specializing in single-family home building.

The second lowest bidder at $3.23 million, Ack Marine & General Contracting, LLC, is based in Quincy.

According to its website, the company has extensive experience building marine structures, such as boardwalks. Among its customers are the US Navy, the US Coast Guard, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“With decades of collective experience in the marine construction industry, we have the expertise to exceed our client’s expectations on every project,” the website says.

“Our services include pile driving, sheet pile driving, bulkhead construction and repair, pier construction, marine demolition, revetment construction, diving services, and marine salvage work,” the website says. “No matter the challenge, we have the skills and equipment to get the job done.”

The company was founded in 2016.

The third lowest bidder, Robert B. Our, Inc., whose marine division bid came in at $4.52 million, is based in Harwich. The company was founded in 1957.

“Our team of highly trained construction and engineering professionals have a large and diversified portfolio of marine construction,” the website says. “Experts with a large assortment of machinery and equipment [are] able to construct boardwalks, bridges, boat ramps, sea retaining walls, and revetments.”

There are many companies bearing the name of the fourth low bidder—Coastal Custom Builders. Which of those companies submitted the $4.86 million bid could not be confirmed before press time on Thursday, but the nearest company bearing the name is in Eastham.

“Coastal…was founded in 2000 by Timothy Klink,” the website says. “In the past 20 years Coastal has grown to be a full service design build firm.”

The highest bidder, Northern Construction Service, LLC, is located in Palmer. It has been in business for 25 years and specializes in “heavy civilian construction,” according to its website.

“For over 25 years, we’ve provided quality construction throughout the New England,” the website says. “Whether we’re building a highway or building a brewery, we approach every project with the same level of integrity…Clients entrust Northern Construction as industry leaders in heavy civil construction.”

The company lists Tree House Brewery as a client.

Mr. Dunham said more detailed information will be supplied to the selectmen in the next two weeks, before any vote is taken to possibly award the building contract.