Construction booming; less competition for contracts

As the number of construction projects across Middle Georgia have jumped recently, more companies have been selective about the projects they go after.

Local governments are among those feeling the impact from less competition for projects that in recent years drew more interest, said Clay Murphey, who supervises Macon-Bibb County’s special purpose local option sales tax projects.

“In an economy that’s growing it’s a great thing,” Murphey said during a County Commission meeting this week. “For those of us building it’s not great because we’re seeing fewer (bids) and greater costs.”

Some contractors are holding off on bids to prevent overextending themselves with too many projects. One recent example of the lack of competition is a North Macon Park renovation where only one company — Peed Brothers Inc. — bid on the $425,000 project.

Commissioner Virgil Watkins asked if there is a way Macon-Bibb could change the bidding process to attract more companies.

“Is our paperwork too hard? Can we simplify it and maybe give multiple choice questions,” Watkins joked.

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Construction booming; less competition for contracts."