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Nicollet County moves to award County Road 6 reconstruction; rejected bid faces legal challenge
Summary
The Nicollet County Board approved awarding the low qualified bid for the County Road 6 (Old Trunk Highway 14) reconstruction project; one contractor's disqualified submission is being challenged by counsel, the county attorney said.
The Nicollet County Board of Commissioners voted to proceed with awarding the low qualified bid for the County Road 6 reconstruction and shoulder-widening project (SAP 5), Public Works staff said. The project covers Old Trunk Highway 14 near North Mankato and includes realigning 400th Avenue and Ninth Street to create a more perpendicular intersection, improving sight lines and safety. Construction is slated to start June 12, 2025, and finish by September 2025; a detour will be in place during work.
Public Works Director Seth said four bids were received and one was rejected because the submittal did not include the full proposal packet required by the bid documents. The low qualified bid came from R and E Enterprises of Mankato at $1,905,200.51; the county engineer’s estimate was $2,260,437.25. County Attorney (name not specified in the record) told the board the contractor whose bid was rejected notified the county via its attorney that it will challenge the rejection. The attorney explained the county requires the full proposal packet because that submission documents the contractor’s agreement to the project specifications and can be critical if disputes arise during construction.
Commissioner Kolars moved to approve the low qualified bid; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, according to the meeting record. The board was given the option to defer award for two weeks to gather additional information; it chose to proceed. Commissioners and staff discussed R and E’s experience: Seth said R and E has expanded from trucking into roadway work and has completed projects for neighboring Blue Earth County. The county noted R and E may list Limeland Industries Inc. as a parent company on state contractor databases.
Funding for the project will use trunk highway turnback funds allotted to this road; Public Works reported $1,711,000 of turnback funds designated for this project, with the remainder to come from state aid regular construction dollars. The board did not provide a roll-call tally in the transcript; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded dissents. The county attorney warned of a possible bid protest and advised the board of the county’s options: proceed with award to the lowest responsible bidder or defer to obtain more information.
