- Home
- Portal
- Humboldt County's Homepage
- Government
- Public Works
- Divisions
- Engineering
- Construction Engineering
Construction Engineering
Overview
The Construction Engineering Section is responsible for the oversight of all public construction projects. This team reviews bid documents, inspects construction activities, tests materials, and administers public works construction contracts.
Construction Management
Typically, engineering technicians (assistant resident engineers) are assigned to various construction projects late in the design phase and then work closely with the contractors to ensure project specifications are met. The assistant resident engineers work under the supervision of the head of the Construction Section and are responsible for seeing that all contracting forms, documents, payments, as-built drawings and project closeout documents are completed.
Materials Lab
Construction Engineering also oversees the Materials Lab, which tests materials that are used in the building and/or repair of roadways. The Materials Lab is certified by Caltrans and can perform most Caltrans tests. The Materials Lab also performs materials testing for other jurisdictions and private individuals on a limited basis.
Contracts, Bidding, & Procurement
On March 18, 2014, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors adopted a uniform County Purchasing Policy. The methods contained in the Policy are to be “used to procure goods and services and provide the best value for the County using an open and fair process for vendors.” The Policy provides specific purchasing guidelines for all County departments in compliance with applicable Government Codes, Humboldt County Codes, and Public Contract Codes.
The Department of Public Works follows Section 12 of the County of Humboldt Purchasing Policy and Chapter 2 of the California Public Contract Code (PCC). For public projects administered by the Department of Public Works, PCC § 22032 defines the cost thresholds of the different procurement procedures described in Section 12 of the County of Humboldt Purchasing Policy. Once a public project contract exceeds the highest cost threshold, the county is required to follow the procedures for formal bidding as set forth in the Uniform Public Construction Accounting Act (UPCCAA) and Title VII, Division 3, Chapter 1 of the Humboldt County Code.
An Invitation to Bid (ITB) is the formal bidding method used in the sealed bid process to obtain goods and services that can be clearly specified and awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. Award results in issuance of a purchase order or execution of contract. ITB's may he advertised in newspaper(s) of general circulation and are posted on the County website, in the Purchasing Office and sent to established vendors as well as any that have expressed interest in doing business with the County. ITB's comply with all applicable requirements of Federal State and local law. Both the ITB and the award must be approved by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.