Air-Conditioning Bids to Be Reexamined

After the withdrawal of the favored contractor for $200 million in air-conditioning work, a Los Angeles school official said Wednesday that he will reevaluate all the remaining bidders before making a new recommendation in about two weeks.

The latest hitch in six months of turbulent bidding leaves two large energy concerns in contention. Air-conditioning is the largest single segment of $1 billion in school improvements scheduled to be performed under Proposition BB, which was approved by voters in April.

Hugh Jones, business czar for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said he still leans toward rejecting the two bidders and letting the work go forward under a management team hired by the district to coordinate the bond work.

Jones, however, acceded to the chairman of the citizens committee overseeing the bond project, who demanded a new evaluation of all bidders.

Although the district’s estimate for air-conditioning work is lower than either bidder’s, committee head Steven Soboroff contends that it is unrealistic and that no one will be held accountable if the price is increased later.

Representatives for the Energy Alliance, a consortium made up of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the parent of The Gas Co., and the joint venture P G & E Energy Services/CH2M HILL told the bond oversight committee Wednesday that they guarantee their prices. They said their bids reflect detailed examination of all 285 schools in the proposal.