Belknap County awards sheriff dispatch flooring contract to low bidder

Belknap County commissioners voted to award a contract for new flooring in the sheriff's dispatch center to the low bidder after receiving staff recommendations at a county meeting.

The county’s facilities manager, John Boskey, told commissioners the county had put the flooring portion of the sheriff dispatch renovation out to bid and received two responses: a bid from Longgen for $17,595 and one from On Access Flooring for $23,100. Boskey said the low bidder had previously performed the 2012 renovation and that he specified manufacturer and model in the request for proposals: "When I did the RFP, I specified an actual manufacturer and model and everything. So it's apples for apples," he said.

The facilities manager said the overall dispatch project had $130,000 allocated for consoles, flooring, electrical, paint and related items and that the components that have come in so far total about $116,000, leaving the flooring cost within the project budget. Boskey also told the commissioners the selected flooring system has a five- to six-week lead time, which fits the project timeline.

Commission discussion focused on whether the submitted sample matched the specified product and on how the flooring cost fit into the overall budget. After a motion to accept the recommendation and a second, commissioners voted in favor and the motion carried.

The award is part of an ARPA-funded renovation for the dispatch center; commissioners did not identify any further contract terms or the vendor’s full legal name beyond the bid listings during the discussion.

The action will allow the county to proceed with ordering flooring material and advance the renovation schedule; staff said installation lead time is expected to be about five to six weeks.

Votes and formal motions on this item were taken during the meeting and recorded as passed by voice vote.