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Johnston County board approves three-year unit-price paving schedule after debate
Summary
The school board approved a three-year unit-price schedule for small paving projects after extensive discussion about vendor commitments and contract terms; board members insisted any job above statutory thresholds will still require individual contracts and board approval.
Johnston County Public Schools on Tuesday approved a district invitation-for-bids (IFB) that establishes unit prices for small paving and related exterior work over a three‑year period, a move supporters said will speed routine maintenance while critics warned about market volatility and vendor commitment.
The board voted to accept the IFB pricing 5–2 after an extended debate. The approval authorizes district staff to use the unit prices as the basis for future small projects; each individual project exceeding statutory thresholds must still be presented to the board for separate contract approval.
Board members and staff said the pricing schedule is intended to reduce repeated bidding for low-dollar, recurring tasks such as pothole repair and small overlays. “This way, you can do these small projects. You can guarantee you’re going to get some bids on it,” a district facilities official explained during the meeting, describing the approach as similar to statewide vendor contracts used for routine purchases.
Concerns focused on whether subcontractors can realistically hold unit prices for three years amid material and labor cost swings. “There’s no way a sub could hold these prices for 3 years. This is insanity,” Board member Miss Antoine said during discussion. Other board members asked that the administration return with the eventual contract language and a comparison of the vendor’s unit prices to current market rates before obligating the district on any particular job.
District staff clarified that approving the IFB pricing does not obligate the board to award work to the vendor; rather, it establishes a vendor price schedule that the district may use for small purchases that fall below formal bidding thresholds. Any project that meets the board-approval threshold would still come back to the board with a separate contract and scope of work for approval.
Board members asked staff to provide the other bids and the proposed contract terms when the administration returns with the contract for signature. The board’s approval at the meeting was limited to accepting the unit pricing schedule that staff and legal and finance staff had reviewed.
Ending: District officials said they will bring the formal contract and supporting bid comparisons to the board for review before any significant or high-dollar work is awarded under the new pricing schedule.
