Sioux City secures sewer lining contract 37% below engineering estimates

Sioux City secures sewer lining contract 37% below engineering estimatesThe Iowa municipality has capitalized on a competitive bidding environment for its FY 2026 utility lining program, securing a contractor for significantly less than projected.

Municipal Pipe Tool Company, LLC was awarded the $465,736.25 contract for CIPP lining services.

The winning bid came in 37.68% lower than the Engineer’s Estimate of $747,350.

The project scope includes cleaning and lining approximately 6,695 linear feet of pipe ranging from 6 to 21 inches.

Four companies bid on the project, with the highest bid reaching nearly $976,000.

The City Council of Sioux City, Iowa, voted on February 9, 2026, to award the contract for the FY 2026 Utility Lining Project to Municipal Pipe Tool Company, LLC. The Hudson, Iowa-based contractor secured the work with a bid of $465,736.25, a figure that came in significantly below the city's projections. According to documents submitted by City Engineer Gordon Phair, the Engineer’s Estimate for the project was $747,350. Municipal Pipe Tool’s bid represented a variance of 37.68%, or roughly $281,600, below the anticipated cost. The tender process attracted four bids in total. Visu-Sewer, LLC submitted the second-lowest bid at $610,955, followed by Insituform Technologies USA, LLC ($702,840), and National Power Rodding Corp. ($975,875). The project scope involves approximately 6,695 linear feet of heavy and light cleaning, followed by Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) lining. This trenchless rehabilitation method is designed to restore structural integrity to cracked or broken pipes, preventing root invasions and increasing flow capacity while offering a 50-year design life. The work targets utility lines varying in diameter from 6 inches to 21 inches across 15 locations throughout the city. The contract stipulates a completion timeline of 90 working days, with the city anticipating completion by December 2026. The favorable pricing environment drew specific comment from the City Council during the meeting. Noting that both the utility lining project and a separate airport apron reconstruction project had come in under budget, a Council Member remarked on the current bidding climate. "Everything's under budget," the Council Member stated, questioning why the city wasn't getting more plans out to bid immediately rather than waiting until later in the year when bids might increase. The project is funded through the city's Utility Lining Improvements capital improvement program (CIP 539-217), which currently holds an available balance of over $1.1 million. In related wastewater infrastructure activity, the Council also adopted plans and specifications for the FY 2026 Annual Manhole Replacement Project. This smaller project, estimated at $123,000, involves the removal and replacement of two sanitary sewer manholes and three storm sewer manholes at four locations within the city.