**As of October 19, 2023, this project has not yet been awarded. A timeline for award has not yet been established.** General Work Description: This park improvement project will add a new walking loop and incorporate ADA- compliant entrances, improved grading and drainage, as well as substantial picnic area enhancements, including solar-powered electricity, a shade structure, barbecue grills, and picnic tables. Upgrades to the playground, drinking fountains, and baseball fields are also planned, featuring decomposed granite paving, and a refurbished roof for the dugouts. The project will also install potable water lines, an irrigation system, and optimize lighting throughout the park. For better accessibility, parking will feature repaired asphalt and clear signage. Lastly, the baseball dugouts will see the construction of concrete walls, and the soil will be improved with amendments and turf hydroseeding. The County will receive sealed bids for the WINTON COMMUNITY PARK IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Contract Number: 2023159 / 170 - 363 ; State Agreement No. CCL-5939(137). Bid forms for this work are included in a separate book titled: COUNTY OF MERCED STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS BID BOOK FOR WINTON COMMUNITY PARK IMPROVEMENT PROJECT No bid will be received unless it is made on a bid form furnished by the MERCED COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. Copies or facsimiles of the bidder's completed and executed bid forms submitted as a bid will be rejected. Each bid must be accompanied by a certified check, cashier's check, or bidder's bond made payable to the COUNTY OF MERCED for an amount equal to at least ten percent (10%) of the amount of bid, such guaranty to be forfeited should the bidder to whom the contract is awarded fail to enter into the contract. The Contractor must have either a Class A license or a combination of Class C licenses that make up a majority of the work. The Contractor shall have and shall maintain the proper Contractor license from award of contract through contract acceptance in accordance to Public Contract Code 10164. The successful bidder will be required to obtain a Merced County Business License before execution of the contract at their own expense. Attention is directed to Section 7-1.11C of the Standard Specifications for Female and Minority Goals for Merced County. No contractor or subcontractor may be listed on a bid proposal for a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code section 1725.5. The DBE Contract goal is Zero. However, use of DBE's are encouraged. Federal-aid Project No.: N/A Attention is directed to Section 7-1.11C of the Standard Specifications for Female and Minority Goals for Merced County. The Bids must be on a unit price basis. All bids are to be compared on the basis of the COUNTY OF MERCED'S estimated quantities of work to be done. Bidders must take necessary and reasonable effort to ensure that DBEs have an opportunity to participate in the Contract (49 CFR 26). The estimated cost of construction is $2,800,000. The County will immediately open and publicly read the bids at the mentioned location after the specified closing time. Present bidders' inquires in writing via email only to: Gene Benavidez, Deputy Director-Parks and Recreation County of Merced - Department of Public Works, Email: Gene.Benavidez@countyofmerced.com. Questions about alleged patent ambiguity of the plans, specifications, or estimate must be submitted in writing at l e a s t four (4) days before bid opening. After this time, the County will not consider these questions as bid protests. Prevailing wages are required on this Contract. The Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations determines the general prevailing wage rates. Obtain the wage rates at the DIR Web site. If the minimum wage rates as determined by the United States Secretary of Labor differs from the general prevailing wage rates determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations for similar classifications of labor, you and your subcontractors must not pay less than the higher wage rate. The County does not accept lower State wage rates not specifically included in the federal wage determinations. This includes helper, or other classifications based on hours of experience, or any other classification not appearing in the federal wage determinations. Where Federal wage determinations do not contain the State wage rate determination otherwise available for use by you and your subcontractors, you and your subcontractors must pay not less than the Federal minimum wage rate that most closely approximates the duties of the employees in question. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) provides a toll-free hotline to report bid rigging activities. Use the hotline to report bid rigging, bidder collusion, and other fraudulent activities. The hotline number is (800) 424- 9071. The service is available 24 hours 7 days a week and is confidential and anonymous. The hotline is part of the DOT's effort to identify and investigate highway construction contract fraud and abuse and is operated under the direction of the DOT Inspector General.