WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- Increased bidding on U.S. stimulus-funded construction projects is driving prices down and saving taxpayers' money, various officials said.
In Carroll County, Md., 21 bids arrived for a $200,000 drainage project, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Similarly, an airport project at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport received twice the expected contract bids and ended with the winning proposal $8 million less than officials budgeted for the work.
As companies scramble for work in the midst of a recession, Virginia state construction engineer Byron Coburn said projects are attracting twice the normal number of bids with an advantage going to the taxpayer.
"Anytime you have more competition, it drives prices down," he told the Post.
"Out bottom line is more bidders and better prices," Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari said.
John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said the increased bids are "giving us value for the dollar."
"The two winners are the public, which gets more improvements, and a net gain in jobs creation. It's a win across the board," he said to the Post.
