Alan board awards record $407M in contracts for new pump station

Alan board awards record $407M in contracts for new pump stationThe authority approved a four-part prime contract package for its Wet Weather Pump Station, a critical component of its plant expansion. The general construction contract was awarded despite a state law that limited the bidding pool to a single submission.

Four prime contracts totaling approximately $407.3 million were awarded for the Wet Weather Pump Station.

The largest portion, a $363.3 million general construction contract, went to Mascara Construction as the sole bidder.

A staff director described the award as 'the largest contract we have ever awarded' in the authority's history.

Pennsylvania's 'multiple primes' law was cited as a reason some national firms chose not to bid on the project.

The project is a major component of the authority's ongoing wastewater treatment plant expansion, which has seen $341 million in work completed to date.

The Alan board has approved a package of four prime contracts totaling over $407.3 million for a new Wet Weather Pump Station, a move a staff director called “the largest contract we have ever awarded.” The approvals, made during the board's November 20, 2025 meeting, are a major step forward for the authority’s ongoing wastewater treatment plant expansion. The largest contract, for general construction, was awarded to Mascara Construction for $363,345,945.90. This price includes a base bid of $346,043,758 and a 5% contingency. Three other prime contracts for the same project were also awarded: • A $27,231,600 electrical contract to Wellington Power Corp. • A $14,118,720 HVAC contract to WG Tom Cohen & Sons. • A $2,657,600 plumbing contract, also awarded to WG Tom Cohen & Sons. Each of these three contracts includes a 10% contingency. A representative presenting the contracts noted that procurement was complicated by a Pennsylvania state law requiring multiple prime contractors for public projects. “We know that there were some bidders who preferred not to bid because they’re national firms,” the representative stated. While 13 potential bidders took documents for the general construction contract, Mascara Construction was the only firm to submit a bid. Despite the lack of competition, the board was told the bid was “within the range of our estimate” and the authority recommended the award. The Wet Weather Pump Station is a cornerstone of the authority's larger plant expansion. Earlier in the meeting, Director Kennedy reported that the value of work completed to date on the overall expansion is approximately $341 million. A related contract for $810,700 was also awarded to Land Co Electric to perform substation modifications required to bring “additional power for all of this that we’re talking about.” Highlighting the scale of the effort, a staff director noted that staff and consultants had been working on the pump station procurement since January 2024 and had fielded 500 questions from potential bidders.