Drumming up interest in its new City Hall, the city of Snoqualmie has received bids from seven prime contractors and nearly 40 subcontractors interested in building the new government structure.

The city went out for bid on Feb. 27, and will close the process on April 16.

“We expect to have a very competitive bid process,” said Snoqualmie Public Works Director Kirk Holmes. “We’re pretty excited about it.”

The prime, or general, contractor will manage the job, while the subcontractors will each take on part of the job, such as site work or installing the heating and air conditioning system. Subcontractors submit their estimates for the jobs to the prime contractors, so the city may get several different estimates from each prime contractor depending on the subcontractors involved.

The city did not set a bid amount. Holmes said that’s because the city feels it can get more a competitive bid process if contractors don’t have a set price in mind.

In a few weeks, the city will formally open the bids, announce them publicly, make sure all requirements have been followed and also follow up on references. The lowest bidder is the winner. As a public agency, the city must take the lowest responsible bidder.

City staff will make a recommendation on the best bid, and the City Council will approve that decision, likely in early May.

The new City Hall will be built at River and Maple Streets, on the site of the old fire hall, and next to the former location of Snoqualmie’s King County Library. The building includes a new council chamber and is designed, in part, to convert into retail spaces if the City Hall is ever moved out of downtown. It may also include an artistic rain spout and trellised public space.