City Approves Construction Bid for New Fire & EMS Headquarters Building

The City of Sanford has taken an important step forward in building a new Fire & EMS Headquarters. Following a competitive public bidding process, City Council has approved the construction bid, allowing the project to move into its next phase.

Bid Selection Process

Bids for the new Fire Department Headquarters closed on November 20, 2025, and were publicly opened via zoom with City Administration, WBRC Engineering, contractors, and three City Council members present. Interest in the project was strong, with seven contractors submitting completed bid packets for consideration. This level of participation created a competitive bidding environment and helped ensure reliable pricing for the City.

The total project bids ranged from about $17.2 million to $22.2 million. The three lowest bids were very close in price, showing strong market competition. After careful review, Benchmark Construction was identified as the lowest responsive bidder with a total project bid of $17,222,000.

City Administration and WBRC Engineering staff conducted a detailed interview with the Benchmark Construction team to review the project management approach and construction schedule, reporting and meeting procedures, the 20 proposed subcontractors, and six sole-source suppliers and materials. No quality, performance, or compliance concerns were identified. The review confirmed that Benchmark Construction meets all bid specifications and project requirements.

A bid recommendation package for Benchmark Construction was presented to City Council and approved on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

Project Comes in Under Budget

An important positive outcome of the bidding process is that, now that all material and engineering specifications are known, the estimated total cost of the project is significantly lower than the amount approved by voters in the November 2024 referendum. The total project cost is approximately $4.39 million below the approved budget.

In addition, the City is currently being considered for $5 million in Congressional Directed Spending (CDS) grant funding, which was applied for in April 2025 and brought forward for Congressional consideration by Senator Collins. The City is awaiting Congress’s decision on which projects will receive funding through the 2026 allocation.

Updated Project Timeline

Construction on the Fire & EMS Headquarters building is anticipated to begin in Spring 2026, with completion expected by Summer 2027. The City will continue to share updates with the public as construction gets underway.