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Keith County accepts Oak Creek Engineering RFP for Lakeview West project
Summary
The Keith County Board of Commissioners voted to accept the road superintendent’s recommendation to hire Oak Creek Engineering to design and advise on the Lakeview West road project after scoring and reference checks; board members emphasized cost control and local involvement in subsequent contract negotiations.
The Keith County Board of Commissioners voted to accept the road superintendent’s recommendation to award the Lakeview West request for proposals (RFP) to Oak Creek Engineering on a recorded roll call.
County Road Superintendent Thomas Wilbur presented the scoring summary and recommended Oak Creek Engineering, saying evaluators scored proposals against criteria in the RFP and that Oak Creek scored highest. “I gave you guys this kind of a breakdown of how all the proposals were scored,” Wilbur said, and added he was “very comfortable” with the averaged scores and the scoring process because it followed a written rubric established in the RFP.
Commissioners emphasized practical experience and local familiarity when debating the choice. One commissioner said Oak Creek’s proposed approach — including the firm’s experience with Portland-cement-based stabilization and requests for relaxations to Nebraska board classification standards — offered time and cost savings. The board also noted Oak Creek’s familiarity with local conditions around Bridal and the benefit of consulting the county surveyor during negotiations.
Commissioners said the next step is to meet with the selected firm to develop a negotiated scope, determine whether to use stabilization, asphalt or other methods, and obtain a project cost estimate before finalizing contract terms. Thomas Wilbur and commissioners said they expect the contract negotiations to include language that allows the county input on subconsultants and limits expensive, day-by-day on-site observation unless necessary.
Motion and vote: Commissioner Irvin moved and Commissioner Anderson seconded to accept Wilbur’s recommendation and award the RFP to Oak Creek Engineering. The motion passed on roll call.
The board signaled intent to involve the county surveyor and road staff in detailed scope and to preserve the right to revisit the selection if the negotiated costs are unacceptable. Commissioners also flagged the likely need to request relaxations of engineering standards for some curves and corners on the route, noting Oak Creek’s experience securing such relaxations could reduce delays and cost.
The board did not adopt a final construction contract at the meeting; it approved only the recommendation to proceed with Oak Creek as the top-ranked proposer and directed staff to pursue detailed scope and negotiation.
