Town officials unsealed bids for the high school project late last week, though it will likely take several weeks of research before they decide whether or not to accept the winning bids for portions of construction work on the school.

Wilmington Town Manager Jeff Hull unsealed bids following the deadline to submit on Thursday. Hull said the qualifications of winning bidders are being reviewed before any decisions can be made.

“The early read here is that there were certain categories where the bids came in significantly higher than anticipated,” said Hull. “Others came in more in line with what we anticipated, in some cases a little lower. Generally speaking it’s a mixed bag and (the town’s consultants) need to go through the numbers and find out what the net effect is.”

Hull said masonry, miscellaneous metals and waterproofing were the areas that came in higher than expected.

There are several proposals for non-trade services that development firm Gilbane will be going over this week for the town to determine what the cost will be.

According to Hull, there is a working group meeting scheduled for this week where the town expects to get some preliminary information on the unsealed bids. The High School Building Committee meets on February 7, and he expects to have a full idea of what the net effect of the bid prices will be.

Town officials weighed their options earlier in the year before deciding to continue with the bidding process despite the appeal that currently is at Superior Court.

“I think to this point it was the right decision to go forward,” said Hull. “Waiting is only going to raise the prospect of potential cost increases beyond what we’re seeing in some trades anyway.”