Title
Consideration and Possible Award of Bid No. 26-49 in the Amount of $17,905,000 plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax to Spartan Construction of New Mexico LLC for the Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project, Establish a Project Budget in the Amount of $22,250,000, and Approve Related Budget Revision 2026-59
Recommended Motion
I move that Council approve award of Bid No. 26-49 in the amount of $17,905,000 plus applicable gross receipts tax to Spartan Construction of New Mexico LLC for the Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project and establish a project budget in the amount of $22,250,000.
I further, move that Council approve related Budget Revision 2026-59 as summarized in Attachment D and that the attachment be made part of the minutes of this meeting.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
On February 10, 2026, the County advertised a formal competitive solicitation under Invitation for Bids (IFB) 26-49 for the construction of the Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project. This solicitation closed on March 24, 2026 at 2:00 pm. After reviewing two bids received, the bid evaluation committee determined that Spartan Construction of New Mexico LLC was the lowest responsive bidder.
The Fire Station No. 4 replacement is located at 4402 Diamond Drive, adjacent to the existing Fire Station No. 4 facility (Attachment A). The new facility is designed as a two-story building comprised of 25,518 Gross Square Feet (GSF). The first level encompasses five (5) double depth apparatus bays, residential space for ten (10) first responders, an exercise room, office space, decontamination areas, and a 300 GSF outdoor patio space. The lower level contains a storage facility with specialized work areas for equipment maintenance and dedicated logistics space for the EMS, Public Education, Honor Guard, and Wildland Fire divisions. See Attachment B. Moreover, the new Fire Station No. 4 facility will be LEED Gold Certified and the first fully electric County facility. Two highlights of this new facility are the use of heat-pump air conditioning systems and photo voltaic panels to reduce the facility’s electric energy consumption. In this manner, the County is making progress on its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as outlined in the Los Alamos Climate Action Plan and in furtherance of the County’s Sustainability goals and initiatives.
As the new Fire Station No. 4 will be built on vacant land directly west of the existing fire station, the existing fire station facility can remain operational during construction. Vega Architecture LLC, the project architect, made provisions in the design to minimize disruption to the existing Fire Station No. 4 operations during construction. Following the completion and occupancy of the new station, the legacy building will be demolished and the vacant land created will be landscaped as a green space. These services are included in the project scope of work.
The County has contracted the professional services of Farnsworth Group under on-call services Agreement AGR25-952 to provide commissioning services from design through project completion. This quality assurance process oversees the design and construction of the new Fire Station No. 4 and its systems to ensure the performance required by the County is achieved.
Upon Council approval, the Notice of Award will be sent to Spartan Construction of New Mexico LLC on April 8, 2026. Project Substantial Completion is scheduled for September 30, 2028, with Final Completion on November 15, 2028.
Project Background
The existing Fire Station No. 4 facility has been identified as functionally obsolete as it fails to meet the demands of modern Fire Department operations. For instance, the residential section does not accommodate the mixed gender nature of the emergency response crews, and the structural capacity of the building is not suited to accommodate modern apparatus and specialized equipment.
In June 2024, the County contracted Vega Architecture LLC under General Services Agreement No. AGR 24-51 to provide a comprehensive site selection study, public engagement and outreach, design, construction documentation, and construction administration services for the Fire Station No. 4 replacement. Thereafter the project team conducted a rigorous site selection process. Three potential sites were evaluated considering the following criteria: i) Infrastructure availability, ii) construction feasibility, iii) civil impacts, and iv) emergency response time.
The project team also conducted a rigorous public outreach effort to inform and engage the community on the site selection decision process. Following a public input period in November 2024, the County Council formally approved the current site at 4401 Diamond Drive for the location of the new facility allowing the design team to move forward with project design. During this time, the project team also conducted an entitlements process for proper zoning and establishment of lot boundaries for the project. This process involved the approval of the Planning and Zoning commission as well as public meetings with the neighbors in the near vicinity of Fire Station No. 4.
Alternatives
Council could choose to award the bid; or choose not to approve the award and request staff re-advertise the project for bids; or cancel or postpone the project until some future date. Potential consequences of delaying the award include continued further escalation of construction costs and the loss of $2,000,000 in State Capital Outlay Appropriations.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
The project budget for construction and commissioning services is detailed in Attachment C. A Budget Revision, Attachment D, is required to fully fund the project and accommodate a contingency for any unanticipated changes or field conditions. In addition to this funding, the County utilized approximately $2,000,000 in State Fire Marshal Funds to fund design and construction administration services.
Attachments
A - Project Area Map
B - Project Rendering-Floor Plans-Elevations
C - Project Budget Spreadsheet
D - Budget Revision 2026-59
E - Revised CIP Fund Statement