Supervisors approve $10,000 contract amendment for transfer station slab work after contractor reported unforeseen costs

The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted 7–0 on Jan. 28 to amend the engineering services contract with The Lane Group by $10,000 to cover additional work related to replacement of the transfer station floor slab.

County staff said the original contract was $45,500 and that The Lane Group reported about $20,000 in additional costs due to unforeseen subgrade and construction administration needs. Staff recommended a $10,000 amendment and a corresponding transfer from the county reserve for contingencies to partially cover the claim. “The Lane Group has incurred 20,000 in additional calls for engineering services for the transfer station floor slab replacement due to the issues they encountered ... there was no contingency built into the contract,” staff said in the presentation.

Board members questioned whether the engineering work had been put out to bid; staff responded that the professional services contract did not require formal competitive bidding because the contract amount was under the county’s $80,000 threshold for formal procurement. The Lane Group’s representative had asked the county to consider paying more of the loss; staff said approving $10,000 was a concession and not an admission of contractual obligation.

Supervisor McCall moved to approve the contract amendment and authorize the reserve transfer; the motion passed 7–0.

Votes at a glance: Amendment of $10,000 to The Lane Group contract and transfer of $10,000 from contingency reserve — approved 7–0.

Next steps: Staff will execute the amendment and reflect the contingency transfer in the county’s budget records.