the current inflation, supply chain and staffing uncertainties have unfolded in slow motion for the construction industry.

But for the team expanding the America's Center, the main convention center in St. Louis, thE整体Project manager for the work says a critical three-to-six month delay plunged the bidding, award and prices into a far more unforgiving atmosphere than had developed to that point.

推迟竞标导致项目团队授予第一阶段的竞标者，比估计值增加了数千万美元，并且可能有被剥夺the project's second phase of any bidders at all.

最初定于去年10月初，第一阶段的竞标被推迟到圣诞节。当出价终于在三月份出现时，情况发生了变化。“这与我们想看到的东西有很大的延误，我们处于一个不同的市场，”夸梅建筑集团副总裁克雷格·卢卡斯（Craig Lucas）说一个会议4月18日与城市和县官员一起。

the expansion project's lone, high-priced phase-one bid and bidless second phase are just the latest symbols of a punishing national construction market for owners.

As contractors try to control risk and maximize profits, local news reports indicate solicitations for smaller public projects across the U.S., such as schools and fire stations, have recently yielded similar results as the convention center project. Bids are coming in higher than anticipated, leaving officials to either find more money, revise their plans or hold off until market conditions have calmed.

平静可能不会很快到达圣路易斯地区。承包商正在忙于开展大型足球场和一个项目新利18备用网址sprawling headquarters为国家地理空间机构。

融资于2020年8月

the convention center project financing was initially set in August 2020. Even as the pandemic devastated tourism and travel, St. Louis leaders and its former mayor looked ahead to the positive impact of an expanded facility. Competing Midwestern city Chicago has 4 million sq ft of convention-related space built out, while Indianapolis has 1 million sq ft to offer potential visitors.

圣路易斯美国中心会议中心拥有约750,000平方英尺的空间。它的扩展计划要求创建数以万计的展览，会议和支撑空间，改善装载码头，公园广场以及新鲜的入口和其他区域。圣路易斯县和该市同意每人出售1.05亿美元的债券以支付这项工作，当时估计耗资1.75亿美元。

经营会议中心的Explore St. Louis总裁Kathleen Ratcliffe在当时的一份声明中说：“一旦完成最终设计工作完成，我们地区的企业和居民在建筑行业工作，将拥有很多work to do! We couldn’t be more pleased.”

当圣路易斯县发行其债券时，利率比该项目首次批准时的利率高3％。此外，据《圣路易斯商业杂志》报道，来自城市以外的有影响力的县议会议员在8月反对该项目。县和市政府官员直到四月resolve《商业杂志报道》报道说，僵局“同意在北部县提供4000万美元的娱乐设施，距离圣路易斯约20英里。

在10月,城市圣路易斯和探索规律eady spent millions to keep the project on track. The spending included $5.5 million of a planned $13-million contract with Fentress Architects and $1.3 million of a planned $9 million contract for Kwame Building Group, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Another $1.5 million had been spent for demolition needed to clear the way for the expansion.

At the April 18 meeting, Kwame Building's Lucas sought to explain to the construction project committee why prices had jumped and contractors seemed newly picky about the work. Only one company, locally based Ben Hur Construction Co., submitted a bid at $123.9 million, far above the $75.4 million estimate.

the planned expansion had broken its budget before it even got out of the gate.

卢卡斯在会议上说，该项目分为两个阶段。与有兴趣的公司的竞标会议之后，有五个附录和两次澄清。

Holiday Bid Stirred 'Little Action'

计划预计从2021年10月8日开始出门邀请函，但直到12月22日，几个月后才发生。

卢卡斯说，这产生了“重大影响”。“那是圣诞节前几天”，当时“缔约国社区的行动不多”。

Bids from contractors were due March 29, but by then the project team "was in a much different market due to COVID-19, supply chain issues [and] oil price increases," Lucas told the committee. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its jolt to global fuel prices added to the uncertainty. "And it all had a negative impact as far as the market for bidding construction out," said Lucas.

After looking at the market, Lucas said, Kwame "did not see any value" in rebidding that would "lead to additional bidders," so the firm recommended awarding the work to Ben Hur.

At that, the committee went into private session to discuss terms. When it emerged, members voted to approve the award at $8 million below the bid amount with a "negative change order" lowering the overall price but with no cut in project scope.

on 5月17日上午,冠军nd team members working for the America’s Center expansion had a chance to celebrate all they had done so far. Vowing to see the project through to completion, shovels in hand, they lined up at a part of the jobsite where ground had been cleared, and tossed some soil forward.

Explore St. Louis总裁Ratcliffe指出，最近几年一直在为活动规划行业努力，“这使今天更加重要：我们正在回来并建立新的东西，这些新事物将使圣路易斯和活动策划者受益于许多人未来几年。”