Miami County authorizes solicitation for 2025–26 biannual bridge inspections, optional culvert inventory

The Miami County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 12 authorized staff to solicit price proposals for the county’s biannual bridge inspections for 2025 and 2026 and approved an alternate, separately priced proposal for a culvert inventory and inspection service.

The request, presented by Matthew Oler, Engineering Project Manager, covers 237 structures on the National Bridge Inventory and offers an optional inventory and inspection for 2,717 culverts that measure between 5 and 20 feet. Oler said the culvert work is written as an alternate bid item so the county can accept or reject it independently of the bridge inspection contract. “They will give us a price proposal just for the biannual bridge inspection and then there’s a separate form that they’ll fill out for the culvert inventory,” Oler said.

The commission discussed how proposals will be structured to prevent bundled pricing and confirmed the RFP language in commissioners’ packets specifies the culvert work as an alternate bid item. Commissioners noted that a previous county inspection five years ago identified 28 smaller bridge or culvert issues under 20 feet; the county has since addressed those 28 locations, the commission was told.

Commissioner Dideker moved to solicit price proposals; Commissioner Vaughn seconded. The board voted unanimously to approve the solicitation.

The authorization directs staff to advertise and accept proposals for the biannual bridge inspection for 2025–26, with the culvert inventory offered as a separately priced alternate. No final contract award occurred at the Feb. 12 meeting.