BEND, OR -- There’s an unusual bonus coming for the contractor of an upcoming Bend street project in Bend, if they finish the job early. The Southeast Sewer Interceptor project is being put out for bid right now. It will stretch along 27th Street from Reed Market, north to Medical Center Drive and will impact the heavily traveled Highway 20 intersection.
Tom Hickmann, with the city, says they’re building in a bonus to the contractor for finishing the project quicker. He tells KBND News it's "To incentivize the contractor to basically expedite the construction, reducing the impact to the community on the segments that are just north of Highway 20 and just south of Highway 20."
He admits it's a switch from the typical scenario of penalizing the contractor for going beyond the agreed-upon finish date. "In this case we’re essentially reversing that saying for every day the contractor finishes early, those same instead of damages, would be savings that are accrued to the contractor."
The lengthy sewer interceptor project will require a deep trench the width of 27th Street. Work is expected to begin late this spring and last through 2017.
