PART II.

CONSTRUCTION.

CHAPTER X.

PREPARING FOR CONSTRUCTION.

ART. 59. CONTRACT WORK OR DAY LABOR.

THERE are two general plans by which a city or town may construct a sewerage system, viz., by contract or by day labor. In a majority of instances, probably a very large one, the contract method is adopted, but in quite a number the work is done under the general charge of the city engineer or a special agent or committee who purchases material, employs labor, and looks after the work generally. If the work can be kept entirely free from politics and conducted without fear or favor" by a good manager experienced in this line of work the latter method will probably be the more economical for the city and give the more satisfactory results. Unfortunately these conditions exist in few cities or towns, and the contract method is usually the cheaper one, and frequently gives better results than construction by home labor under foremen too often unskilled in sewerage-work. There may be cases where, even with and in spite of the existence of the above objections, construction directly by the city is preferable. For instance, the work may be of an uncertain nature,

its details difficult to foresee and set forth in a contract; or it may be unusually hazardous, causing contractors to add 100 or even 200 per cent to the estimated cost to balance the risk, which risk the city might think it better to assume itself. In some instances villages have undertaken sewerage-work as a means of giving employment in unusually hard times to citizens, who would thus be enabled to pay part of their wages back to the treasury in taxes, and also relieve the poorhouse of a large number of possible inmates.

Since, however, sewerage-work is generally done by contract, the succeeding chapters will be made applicable particularly to construction by this method. But the matter is equally applicable to work done by the city or its immediate agent, which agent should conduct the work as the contractor would have been compelled to conduct it.

In

It may be sometimes advisable for the city to purchase the materials and contract for the labor of construction. this way the quality of the materials is under the immediate control of the city. In the matter of cost there is usually very little difference one way or the other, unless it be that the city is charged a little more, owing to a "commission" which must be paid to certain officials who control the awarding of the contracts for material. It is an excellent plan for the city to furnish cement, sand, and pipe, and see that there is no unnecessary waste of these. There is then no tempta

tion for the contractor to use defective material or too little cement.

Systems have been built by letting the contract for excavation to one party, and that for pipe-laying and brick-work to others, the material being purchased by the city. This is almost sure to work unfavorably to the city and give rise to the greatest confusion, of responsibilities if not of work.

ART. 60. OBTAINING BIDS.

If work is to be let by contract the probabilities are that the greater the number of bidders the lower will be the sum for which the work can be constructed, a partial cause of this being the lessened liability of collusion between the bidders. To reach contractors two methods are open: to send notice to individual contractors, or to advertise in such a way and place as will attract the attention of a large number. Each method has its advantages, and perhaps a combination of the two might give the best results. But it is probable that one or two advertisements judiciously placed will reach all who would be reached by the first method, and many others besides. For a small village the best advertising medium is the contractors' journal having the widest circulation in that part of the country, which is also true for a city if the work amounts to more than a very few thousand dollars. For small contracts in cities having several capable contractors among its citizens the local paper will perhaps give sufficient publicity. to the desire for bids, but village papers are generally useless for this purpose. For contracts of $5000 or more an advertisement in one or two prominent engineering and contracting papers will usually pay for itself many times over.

The customary method of bidding is to have each contractor submit a sealed proposition, all of these being opened at a time fixed beforehand. It would be unfair, if not illegal, to open any sealed bid before this time or to receive another. bid after any had been opened. To satisfy both the public and the contractors of the honesty and fairness of the awarding of the contract it is customary to open the bids and read them aloud at a meeting open to the public, or at least to all bidders and to newspaper representatives. The opportunities for dishonesty are so great if the bids are opened in secret or

one received after others have been read that regard for their own reputations usually influences the officials making the award to adopt the above methods.

That there may be no informal or incomplete bids it is desirable that all bids be made on forms furnished by the city and accompanied by copies of the specifications and contract similarly furnished. It would be possible for a bidder whose bid had been accepted to refuse to contract for the work unless he were bound in some way. For this reason it is well to require that each bid be accompanied by a certified check, to be returned to the bidder unless he refuse to sign the contract based upon his bid, if so requested.

The laws of different States and cities differ as to the latitude given in awarding contracts. In some the contract must be awarded to the "lowest bidder," in others to the "lowest responsible bidder," while in still others there is no restriction. Justice to the taxpayers and fairness to the bidders will usually dictate awarding to the lowest bidder, unless there be reason to think that he will be unable, through inexperience, to do creditable work, or that, his bid being lower than the work can probably be done for, he will later abandon the work, and the consequent delay and legal complications, even though his bond insure the ultimate completion of the contract, will be detrimental to the city's interests. If it becomes evident during construction that the contractor cannot but lose money there is usually a tendency to favor him in minor matters, to grant him extensions of time and aid him in other ways which detract more or less from the excellence of the work. In order to avoid, on the other hand, the necessity of awarding the contract to a too high bidder when there are no reasonably low ones the city should reserve the right to reject any or all bids."

ART. 61. ENGINEERING WORK PRELIMINARY TO

CONSTRUCTION.

As soon as possible after the signing of the contract the contractor should submit samples of the material he wishes to use, and these should be carefully examined by the engineer, and if accepted should be retained and marked for future identification and compared from time to time with the material actually furnished.

If,

The contractor should be notified some days in advance of the point or points at which he is to begin work. Reasonable deference should be made to his wishes in this matter, since it is his privilege and duty to so organize the work as to secure the greatest efficiency at the least cost to himself. for instance, part of the work lies through wet ground and sub-drains are to be used it is ordinarily to his interest, and indirectly to the city's also, that the work begin at an outlet to which all ground-water will drain, or at a point at which a pump, once set up, can drain the work for long distances without moving its location, as at the junction of two mains. It is also usually desired by the contractor that, if two or three gangs are to work at as many places, they may be within a few blocks of each other for convenience of oversight. It will ordinarily be to the interests of both contractor and city to work in as dry ground as possible, and hence to leave until summer droughts construction through low, soggy land. Construction across or near streams should not be carried on when there is a possibility of floods or freshets, if it can be avoided. Both trench- and masonry-work should be avoided in winter weather if possible, for it is then costly to the contractor, and it is impossible to be sure that the mortar is uninjured, or to restore the streets to good condition with frozen earth.