Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee OKs moving USI benefits‑consulting contract to council; approves facilities bucket‑truck purchase
Summary
The finance committee authorized forwarding a proposed three‑year contract with USI Insurance Services to full council and approved a $188,893 purchase of a bucket truck for facilities management at the committee level.
Beaufort County’s finance committee voted to forward a proposed three‑year contract with USI Insurance Services to full county council and approved, at committee level, a request to buy a bucket truck for the facilities management division.
Catherine Mead, the county’s director of human resources, told the committee the county received four responses to a benefits consulting RFP and selected USI as a qualified consultant. The proposed contract would cost $72,954 annually and $218,862 over three years; the contract would be charged to the human resources professional services line item and billed monthly, with a two‑year renewal option. Mead said USI will provide benefits procurement, plan design and compliance, employee communication, data analysis and vendor management for health, dental, vision and stop‑loss programs.
The committee chair asked for any objections; seeing none, the committee agreed to send the contract authorization to county council for approval.
On a separate agenda item, facilities management director (as introduced to the committee) explained the request to purchase a 1 LT 40 bucket truck at a fiscal impact of $188,893. The presentation said the county has more than 200 buildings to maintain; the bucket truck is used for lighting maintenance, gutter and roof work, rooftop HVAC equipment lifts and other tasks that crews cannot safely do with ladders. Presenters said the purchase replaces a prior asset and is not an additional permanent addition to the fleet. The committee approved the purchase at committee level without objection; the presentation cited an available fleet account balance of $1,556,991.
Members asked whether traffic management and facilities could share bucket trucks; county staff replied the two departments have different missions and requirements and that the facilities purchase was a replacement for an existing facilities asset. Committee members raised efficiencies of having on‑site assets versus ongoing equipment rental, which the presenters said can cost nearly $4,000 per week when transport and rental are required.
Both the contract authorization and the vehicle purchase will move forward through the county’s normal council and procurement processes.
