Invitation to Bid: Exterior Masonry Restoration

Preserve RI is embarking on a comprehensive masonry restoration project for Lippitt House for the first time in its 160-year history. A National Historic Landmark, Lippitt House is a beautifully preserved example of 19th century Victorian craftsmanship and design. The needed repointing and brownstone repairs will restore weather-tightness to the building, ensuring that key architectural features, original interior finishes, and Museum collections are protected from water damage, while also maintaining safe community access to the Museum and its grounds.  The multi-year project is scheduled to begin in 2026.

Invitation to Bid Summary: Preserve RI has initiated the bidding process for the exterior masonry restoration of Lippitt House Museum in Providence, Rhode Island, open from September 23rd to October 23rd.

The project consists primarily of exterior masonry restoration of Preserve Rhode Island’s Lippitt House as shown and specified in the bid documents. Funding is being provided in part with federal and state funds.

Bid documents are available only through the office of the Architect, Cornelis J. de Boer AIA at Haynes/de Boer Architecture+Preservation by email: Contact cdeb@haynesdeboer.com.

Bidding Requirements:

1.       Prospective bidder must abide by all applicable governmental regulations and guidelines and Preserve RI’s Procurement Policy for federal grant funding included in the Supplementary Instructions to Bidders. Bids must include all applicable permits required to perform the work.

2.       Prospective bidders must provide their Federal Tax ID number, Unique Entity ID, a copy of a valid Residential/Commercial Contractor’s Registration from the State of Rhode Island Contractor’s Registration and Licensing Board, and the required Insurance with Preserve RI as Certificate holder.

3.       Davis Bacon/Prevailing Wage Rates apply to this project. Prospective bidders must specify the labor classification(s) being proposed.

4.       Bid Bond, payable to Preserve RI, shall be in the amount of 5% of total or gross bid sum and included with the bid. The proposed guarantee shall be furnished by surety companies authorized and licensed.  The Owner reserves the right to retain the surety of all bidders until the successful bidder enters into the Contract or until such time as the award or cancellation of the Contract is announced, at which point Sureties will be returned to all bidders by the Owner.

5.       Prospective bidders shall submit evidence of ability to obtain 100% performance and payment bonding in the form of a letter provided by an insurance company or bonding agency to be included with the bid.

6.       Minority participation (MBE 15%/WBE 15% goal) is required for this project. Under Rhode Island General law 37-14., Minority and Women-Owned business enterprises are targeted for participation in all state-funded construction projects (including soft costs) and shall be awarded a minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of all dollar value of the procurement or project. MBE/WBE participation is calculated on the entire dollar amount of your project, not simply the grant plus the match. The State of Rhode Island maintains a directory of vendors eligible for MBE participation at http://odeo.ri.gov/offices/mbeco/mbe-wbe.php.

7.       Prospective bidders shall maximize the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and services offered, in the United States (as per Executive Order 14005).

8.       All prospective bidders must demonstrate experience and expertise in historical restoration and submit references from comparable projects. See Supplementary Instructions to Bidders.

Contract Award Consideration:

The Contract will be awarded to the lowest qualified bidder submitting a responsive and responsible bid and that is advantageous to the program.

Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting:

A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at the project site location, 199 Hope Street, Providence, RI, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 11 AM. Prospective bidders are required to attend to clarify bidding and project requirements, and to view the project site in person. If a contractor submits a bid, but did not attend the mandatory pre-bid meeting, that bid will be disqualified.

Addenda items shall be submitted in writing to the Architect no later than one week before bids are due (or October 16, 2025).

Bid Submission and Due Date: 

The Bid Form and all required documents must be submitted either by:

• Direct mail in a sealed envelope to Preserve Rhode Island, 957 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904, and received no later than Thursday, October 23, 2025.

• Email in digital format as a single PDF file (no larger than 8MB), with "Lippitt House Invitation to Bid Response" as the subject line, to bids@preserveri.org, no later than Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 2:00 PM.

NO BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER DUE DATE AND TIME.

All questions concerning the project shall be directed to Cornelis de Boer in writing via email: cdeb@haynesdeboer.com.