Post by ferryfast admin on Dec 16, 2011 11:45:40 GMT -5
Martinac rejected on building of new ferry
J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma will no longer be part of building a new 144-car ferry, Vigor Industries, the primary contractor on the project, announced Wednesday.
By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017025846_martinac16m.html
J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma will no longer be part of building a new 144-car ferry, Vigor Industries, the primary contractor on the project, announced Wednesday.
The work that Martinac was to have done, including heating and air conditioning plus finishing work, will be done by Vigor's Everett Shipyards.
"Martinac is out," said Steve Hirsh, spokesman for Vigor, formerly Todd Pacific Shipyards.
The issue is the amount of money Martinac said its work would cost. Initially, Martinac bid $25 million for the work on the ferry, then trimmed the number to $21.2 million.
When Vigor said that was still too high, asserting an independent engineering firm pegged the price at about $15 million, Martinac said it would do the work for time and materials. While Martinac wouldn't make any money on the project, about 100 shipyard workers would have jobs.
But Vigor rejected that, saying there was no guarantee Martinac could finish the job in the set 212 days and that the work therefore could end up costing more. Building the new ferry is a $115 million contract, with the work scheduled to begin in February.
"It's perplexing to us," said Jonathan Platt, Martinac vice president. "We made an offer to be nothing more than a job shop. All we asked for were 100 craftspeople to do the job in Pierce County."
The conflict dates back to 2005, when the state awarded then-Todd Shipyards a multimillion-dollar contract to build four new ferries. A state hearing officer reversed that decision, saying Martinac should also be able to bid on the boats.
Martinac threatened to sue. In a compromise crafted by the Legislature, three shipyards — Todd, Martinac and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island — submitted a joint proposal in 2007 to build the 144-car boats. At this point, the state has appropriated only enough money to build the first ferry.
Now Martinac is out.
Platt said he didn't know if Martinac had any other legal options. "We're a quality shipyard and if the powers that be don't want us involved, OK," said Platt.
Hirsh said all the other subcontractors gave Vigor fixed prices for their work; only Martinac proposed time and materials. "That would have been too open-ended," he said. "We have a fixed contract with the state. Martinac folks were not able to come back to near what the price needed to be."
J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma will no longer be part of building a new 144-car ferry, Vigor Industries, the primary contractor on the project, announced Wednesday.
By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017025846_martinac16m.html
J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma will no longer be part of building a new 144-car ferry, Vigor Industries, the primary contractor on the project, announced Wednesday.
The work that Martinac was to have done, including heating and air conditioning plus finishing work, will be done by Vigor's Everett Shipyards.
"Martinac is out," said Steve Hirsh, spokesman for Vigor, formerly Todd Pacific Shipyards.
The issue is the amount of money Martinac said its work would cost. Initially, Martinac bid $25 million for the work on the ferry, then trimmed the number to $21.2 million.
When Vigor said that was still too high, asserting an independent engineering firm pegged the price at about $15 million, Martinac said it would do the work for time and materials. While Martinac wouldn't make any money on the project, about 100 shipyard workers would have jobs.
But Vigor rejected that, saying there was no guarantee Martinac could finish the job in the set 212 days and that the work therefore could end up costing more. Building the new ferry is a $115 million contract, with the work scheduled to begin in February.
"It's perplexing to us," said Jonathan Platt, Martinac vice president. "We made an offer to be nothing more than a job shop. All we asked for were 100 craftspeople to do the job in Pierce County."
The conflict dates back to 2005, when the state awarded then-Todd Shipyards a multimillion-dollar contract to build four new ferries. A state hearing officer reversed that decision, saying Martinac should also be able to bid on the boats.
Martinac threatened to sue. In a compromise crafted by the Legislature, three shipyards — Todd, Martinac and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island — submitted a joint proposal in 2007 to build the 144-car boats. At this point, the state has appropriated only enough money to build the first ferry.
Now Martinac is out.
Platt said he didn't know if Martinac had any other legal options. "We're a quality shipyard and if the powers that be don't want us involved, OK," said Platt.
Hirsh said all the other subcontractors gave Vigor fixed prices for their work; only Martinac proposed time and materials. "That would have been too open-ended," he said. "We have a fixed contract with the state. Martinac folks were not able to come back to near what the price needed to be."