KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Keene officials received two bids Friday for the city’s long-delayed downtown reconstruction project, marking a significant step forward after weeks of uncertainty and multiple deadline extensions.

During a public bid opening at Keene City Hall, Purchasing and Contract Services Manager Yves Gakunde announced that the city had received two electronic submissions through its online procurement platform.

The first bid, submitted by Albanese D&S of Dracut, MA, totaled $29.9 million. The second, from Casella Construction, of Pittsford, VT, came in lower at $26.1 million.

The bids will now undergo a formal review process before any recommendation is made. Gakunde said staff will verify all required documentation, including bid bonds and insurance certificates, before forwarding the proposals to the Public Works Department for a detailed analysis of calculations, contingencies, and alternates.

“We’ll go through the bids and make sure that they provided all the documentation,” Gakunde said. “Public Works will work on a bid calculation to confirm the bid amounts.”

Officials said a finalized bid tabulation could be posted publicly by Monday or Tuesday.

The latest bid opening follows several setbacks for the high-profile infrastructure project. The city had previously extended the deadline after no bids were received by the original April 24 cutoff. A proposal from Casella Construction arrived shortly after that deadline, forcing the city to rebid the project because procurement rules prohibited accepting the late submission.

Keene Mayor Jay Kahn said Friday’s outcome was encouraging despite the delays.

One of the bids appears to be near the city’s revised project budget of $24 million, though officials cautioned that engineers still need to review assumptions and qualifications included in the proposals before determining whether either bid can be accepted.

Friday marked the city’s third round of bidding on the project since last winter after earlier attempts either exceeded budget expectations or failed to produce qualifying submissions.

Several city officials attended the public bid opening at Keene City Hall, including Mayor Jay Kahn, City Manager Elizabeth Ferland and City Councilor Randy Filiault. City Councilor Mitch Greenwald participated remotely, and a representative from Casella Construction was also present.

City Manager Elizabeth Ferland was asked whether the process would now move toward selecting the “lowest and qualified” bidder, to which she responded that would be the expectation pending review.

In December, the city received just two proposals for the downtown reconstruction — both far exceeding the roughly $19 million budget, with one nearing $28 million and the other topping $30 million.

In response, the city reduced portions of the project scope and expanded the construction schedule from two years back to a three-year timeline in an effort to attract more competitive pricing.

The project includes replacement of aging underground water and sewer infrastructure beneath Main Street, along with planned streetscape upgrades and bicycle accommodations.

Under the current plan, the first phase of the three-year reconstruction effort would begin near Central Square.

City officials have emphasized that the underground utility work remains a priority due to the condition of existing infrastructure and the narrowing construction window for the upcoming season.

Further discussion on the bids and next steps is expected during the next Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.