REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 20, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with H L Hitchcock Construction Inc., for the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Authorize an allocation of $1,100,000 from the 2026-27 Third District’s Board of Supervisors Discretionary Fund - District Specific Priorities Program budget to fund the non-county maintained road portion of the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area.
2. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
3. Approve Addendum No. 1, issued on September 3, 2026, to the bid documents for the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area.
4. Award Construction Contract to H L Hitchcock Construction Inc., in the amount of $811,321.65, for the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area.
5. Authorize a contingency fund of $81,132 for the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area.
6. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to approve the expenditure of the contingency fund of $81,132 for verified quantity overruns for this unit priced construction contract.
7. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to order any necessary changes or additions in the work being performed under the contract for a total amount not to exceed $53,066 of the $81,132, pursuant to Public Contract Code section 20142.
8. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to accept the work when 100% complete and execute and file the Notice of Completion.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). On September 21, 2021 (Item No. 18), November 16, 2021 (Item No. 33), February 6, 2024 (Item No. 61), June 11, 2024 (Item No. 110), April 29, 2025 (Item No. 86), and June 10, 2025 (Item No. 136), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved an allocation of $4.0 million, $7.0 million, $6.0 million, $3.0 million, $2.5 million, and $2.5 million, respectively, to the Board Discretionary Fund - District Specific Priorities Program (Priorities Program), for each of the five supervisorial districts for projects that meet a public purpose, and provide services to citizens that promote health, safety, economic well-being, and other public services that enhance quality of life and meet the needs of County residents. On an annual basis, unspent appropriations for discretionary funding will be carried over into the subsequent year’s budget.
The total cost of the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles area (Project) is estimated at $1,400,000, which includes construction, construction management, construction contingency, and design costs incurred to date. The Third District’s Priorities Program funds will provide $1,100,000 in upfront funding for the Project. Of the eligible Project costs, up to $788,000 may be reimbursed with federal Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
To the extent Caltrans reimbursements are received for eligible Project costs initially funded with Third District’s Priorities Program funds, the corresponding funds will be returned to the Third District’s Priorities Program for allocation toward future projects at the discretion of the Third District.
The following budget adjustments to the 2026-27 budget are necessary to transfer funding to the Department of Public Works (DPW) and increase the Project budget:
|
Fund/Fund Center |
Commitment Item/GL Account |
Description |
Amount |
Action |
|
1023001000 |
53003305 |
Contributions to Other Agencies |
$1,100,000 |
Decrease |
|
1023001000 |
55305030 |
Operating Transfers Out |
$1,100,000 |
Increase |
|
6650002000 |
40909975 |
Operating Transfers In |
$1,100,000 |
Increase |
|
6650002000 |
52002445 |
Other Professional & Specialized Services |
$1,100,000 |
Increase |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Project consists of the construction of a dedicated left-turn pocket, an 8-foot paved shoulder, and the installation of striping on the southbound lane of United States Highway 95 (US-95) at the intersection of US-95 and Havasu Lake Road in the Needles area.
On September 9, 2025 (Item No. 56), the Board of Supervisors (Board) adopted the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), approved the Notice of Determination, and directed DPW to file the Notice of Determination in accordance with CEQA.
This Project will have a ten percent contingency fund of $81,132 to compensate the contractor for verified quantity overruns, as well as changes in the contract under certain circumstances. Under an established formula based on the contract amount, Public Contract Code section 20142 allows the Board to authorize the Director of DPW to order changes in the contract, including for unforeseen conditions or design shortfalls, should they become necessary in the future, for a total amount not to exceed $53,066 of the $81,132 contingency fund.
Following Board’s approval of this item, construction is anticipated to commence in November of 2026 and be completed by December of 2026, with a construction completion date of 20 working days from the date of issuance of the Notice to Proceed for the United States Highway 95 Improvement Project in the Needles Area.
PROCUREMENT
On April 27, 2026, the Assistant Executive Officer approved the Project’s plans and specifications, as well as authorized the Director of the Department to advertise the Project for bids. This Project was advertised in the Mojave Valley Daily News, The Standard Newspaper, and the San Bernardino County Sun newspaper on August 11, 2026, and released on the County electronic procurement network (ePro) on August 12, 2026. A notice inviting bids was also provided to specified construction trade journals identified pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22036.
The following addendum was issued during the bidding phase.
• Addendum No. 1: Revised project plans, Special Provisions, bid schedule, and prevailing wage requirements.
On September 10, 2026, the following six bids were received:
|
Contractor |
Location |
Total Bid |
|
H L Hitchcock Construction, Inc |
Rancho Cucamonga, CA |
$811,321.65 |
|
Vance Corporation |
Beaumont, CA |
$947,264.86 |
|
Granite Construction Company |
Indio, CA |
$955,067.00 |
|
S. Christensen |
Apple Valley, CA |
$1,345,609.91 |
|
Onyx Paving Company, Inc. |
Yorba Linda, CA |
$2,138,000.00 |
|
Desert Construction Services, Inc. |
Hesperia, CA |
Non-responsive |
Upon receiving the bids, the Department determined that Desert Construction Services, Inc.'s, bid submission was nonresponsive because they did not timely submit their bid proposal by the deadline required by the instructions to bidders.
On September 18, 2026, Vance Corporation (Vance) submitted a timely bid protest challenging the proposed award to H L Hitchcock Construction, Inc. (Hitchcock), asserting that Hitchcock’s bid was nonresponsive due to a $49,999.99 discrepancy between its stated project total and the County’s calculated bid amount. The discrepancy resulted from omission of a preprinted $50,000 force-account item from the project total and a one-cent extension error.
The Department, after consultation with County Counsel, denied the protest because the bid provisions require bids to be compared based on the total of all bid items and establishes rules for resolving pricing discrepancies. Applying those provisions resulted in a bid of $811,321.65. The Department determined the discrepancy was resolved from the bid itself, did not modify Hitchcock’s bid, and is properly received at $811,321.65 under the express terms of the bid.
On October 6, 2026, the Department provided a written response to Vance stating its findings and determinations regarding Vance’s bid protest.
The Department has reviewed the remaining bids received and determined that they are responsive and recommends entering into a contract with Hitchcock, the responsive lowest responsible bidder. No additional appeal/protest letters were received.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 6, 2026; Purchasing (Michael Reyna, Lead Buyer, 387-2233) on September 17, 2026; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on September 24, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Penelope Chang, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-4886 and Scott Bruckner, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on September 28, 2026.