Miami County commissioners on a motion approved splitting a previously combined solicitation into two separate requests for proposals for the Miami County Courthouse: one for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural (MEP/structural) analysis and another for environmental site assessment (ESA).

The decision came after the county had received no submissions for RFP 202508, which closed May 6, 2025. Matt Oler, project manager, told the commission that many engineering firms declined to bid on the combined package because their professional insurance did not cover environmental site-assessment work such as asbestos and mold sampling. "Their insurance did not cover those things," Oler said.

Oler recommended, and the commission approved, issuing two RFPs: RFP 2025-11 for the MEP and structural assessment and RFP 2025-12 for the ESA (which Oler described as phased into ESA 1 and ESA 2). He said separating the procurements should increase participation by allowing environmental firms that specialize in ESAs to bid directly and allow engineering firms to bid on MEP/structural work.

Oler also said he extended the project completion window — moving the report delivery target from an initial fall deadline to December — to give firms more time to assemble personnel. Commissioners noted procurement rules require solicitations to remain open at least 21 days.

Commissioner Diederger moved to approve the split and Commissioner Scruggs seconded; the motion passed 4-0.

Oler told the commission the courthouse is listed with the historical registry and that environmental testing will not involve destructive sampling: "There’s no destructive testing that’s gonna be completed," he said, adding that ESA sampling would involve only small samples for lab testing. Oler said the county had identified regional environmental firms such as Aqua Terra and Terracon as likely bidders for the ESA.

The commission did not set awards at the meeting; staff were authorized to solicit proposals and return with submissions for evaluation.