Separate sealed bids will be received by the St. James Parish Government at the Office of the Director of Operations, 2nd Floor, St. James Parish Courthouse, 5800 LA Hwy. 44, Convent, Louisiana 70723 until 2:00 P.M. local time on Thursday, July 18, 2013 from properly licensed HIGHWAYS, STREETS, AND BRIDGE or HEAVY CONSTRUCTION contractors and then at said office, after the engineers estimate is read aloud, publicly opened and read aloud according to La. R.S. 38: 2214(A) for construction of the project described as follows:

St. James Levee Trail Phase 2A & 2B Construction

The Instructions to Bidders, Bid Form, Agreement between Owner and Contractor, Forms of Bid Bond, Performance and Payment Bonds, Drawings and Specifications, and other Contract Documents may be examined at the following location:

SJB Group, LLC
5745 Essen Lane, Suite 200
Baton Rouge, LA 70810

The work covered by this contract comprises Grading, Base Course, and incidental paving, Asphalt Paving and Levee Access Walks, Drainage Culverts and Related Work in accordance with the plan, plan details, and specifications.

All bids must be in accordance with the Bid Documents and any bid received after 2:00 p.m. on the day and date of the bid opening will be returned unopened. Properly Licensed Louisiana Contractors meeting the requirements of the State of Louisiana Contractor’s Licensing Law, R.S. 37:2151 et seq. may obtain copies of the BID DOCUMENTS up to 24 hours prior to bid time. Bids from only the respective contractors obtaining plans, must be submitted on the Louisiana Uniform Public Work Bid Form furnished with the contract documents.

Paper copies of Bid Documents and plans for use in preparing Bids may obtained from SJB Group, LLC, 5745 Essen Lane, Suite 200, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, (225)-769-3400 upon payment of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per set made payable to SJB Group, LLC. Documents can be mailed to bidders for an additional $15.00 per set.

According to Act No. 478, July 9, 1988, Section 1, La. R.S. 38: 2212(A) (1) (e): Deposits on the first set of documents furnished to bona fide prime bidders will be fully refunded upon return of the documents no later than ten (10) days after receipt of bids. On other sets of documents furnished to bidders, the deposits less actual cost of reproduction will be refunded upon return of the documents no later than ten (10) day after receipt of bids. No refund will be given to contractor that has been awarded the project. No refund will be made to non-bidders or sub-bidders.

ALL PLANS MUST BE RETURNED IN GOOD CONDITION, COMPLETE WITH ADDENDA, IN GOOD CONDITION TO QUALIFY FOR REFUND.

Each bid must be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing on the outside the name of the bidder, his/her
address, contractor’s state license number and the name of the project for which the bid is submitted. If
forwarded by mail or hand delivery the sealed envelope containing the bid must be enclosed in another
envelope addressed to the following:

VIA U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery St. James Parish Government
Office of the Director of Operations
St. James Parish Courthouse, 2nd Floor
5800 LA Hwy. 44 - P.O. Box 106
Convent, LA 70723

St. James Levee Trail-Phase 2A & 2B Construction
Contractor Name:_________________________________________
LA State Contractor License Number:__________________________

In addition to paper bids, bid documents will be posted on www.centralbidding.com. To view these, download, and receive bid notices by e-mail, you will have to register with Central Auction House. Vendors/Contractors will have the option to submit their bids and bid bonds electronically or by paper copy. Electronic bids and electronic bid bonds must be submitted through www.centralbidding.com prior to the bidding deadline. St. James Parish shall not be responsible if the bidder cannot complete and submit a bid due to failure or incomplete delivery of the files submitted via the internet.

Prospective bidders desiring further information or interpretations of the Drawings and/or Specifications shall request such data electronically via www.centralbidding.com. All project specific notices are found here. It will be the responsibility of the bidder to check for updates. All submitted questions will be forwarded by email to the Project Manager and the Project Engineer for a response. Answers to all questions, inquiries and requests for additional information will be issued in the form of Addenda to the Drawings and Specifications and copies of each addendum will be posted on www.centralbidding.com for all prospective bidders. Refer to Instructions to Bidders.

The OWNER reserves the right to reject any or all bids for just cause according to La. R.S. 38: 2214(A) (B) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5).

Each Bidder must deposit with this Bid, security in the amount, form, and subject to the conditions provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

Sureties used for obtaining Bonds must appear as acceptable on the Department of Treasury Circular 570.

No Bidder may withdraw his bid within forty-five (45) days after the actual date of the opening thereof; except as prescribed in R.S. 38:2214(C). The entity shall accept or reject bids within forty-five (45) days of the bid opening according to La. R.S. 38: 2215(A).

In accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b)(i), the provisions and requirements stated in the Advertisement for Bids and those required on the Bid Form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived. Bidder must comply with La. R.S. 38: 2227, (Attestation Clause), and bidder must also comply with provisions of La. R.S. 38: 2212.10, (E-Verify Affidavit), and may submit required documentation with their bid or within ten (10) days of the bid opening.

Any person with disabilities requiring special accommodations must contact the Parish of St. James no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening.

A Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference shall be held at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, July 3, at the Office of the Director of Operations for discussion, and then proceed to the jobsite. Contractors should have obtained a set of plans and specifications prior to this time. It is strongly recommended that contractors attend the pre-bid meeting. As per Instructions to Bidders, failure to attend the pre-bid conference and visit the site will in no way relieve the successful bidder from furnishing any materials or performing any work required to complete work in accordance with drawings and project manual without additional cost to the Owner.