Single bidder offers $295,000 for Concord High switchgear; board moves item to consent

Facilities staff told the board that one bid was received to replace Concord High School's electrical switchgear and that the low bid of $295,000 from Watson came in substantially below the staff estimate of $450,000. Chuck Taylor, speaking to the board, asked for approval of the bid and said, "It came in at 295,000. We had projected 450 for this, so it's a very favorable bid." Taylor explained the project is complex because it involves work in an existing building and tight timelines. Board members asked why only one bid was received. Taylor said the district follows state procurement statutes, advertises in local media (he cited the Charlotte Post), posts on the district website and reaches out to qualified vendors; he said the second bid process yielded only Watson because of project complexity and schedule constraints. The board placed the contract award on the consent agenda for the next meeting so the award can proceed through routine consent approval. Ending: No final contract award was taken in the meeting; the board added the item to the consent agenda for next week's meeting.