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Road and Bridge staff raise concerns about low bidder performance on bridge-match projects
Summary
Supervisors heard that bids for a multi-county bridge-match project came in under engineer estimates but raised concerns about a low bidder's past performance and potential schedule delays and liquidated damages.
Road and Bridge staff reported on Round 7 of a bridge-match program in which Gage County partnered with Saline County for multiple structures west of Beatrice. Bids for four structures were opened in Saline County; staff said the low combined bid was about $860,000 while the highest approached $1.1 million.
Staff described the two Gage County structures involved: one on Southwest 60th, south of Scott Street, and another on Southwest 70th north of Scott Street. Both are truss bridges classified as fracture-critical and will be replaced with concrete box culverts, staff said.
Several supervisors and staff raised concerns about the low bidder's past performance on county projects and potential scheduling problems that could jeopardize the contract's completion date. Staff said the contract specifications list a completion date of Nov. 1, 2026, with liquidated damages of $1,500 per structure per day.
"Given their history, there's gonna be a lot of delays," one supervisor said; another suggested the county might decline to use the low bidder if performance or materials prove problematic. Staff also reported that engineer estimates exceeded the low bids, which would save county dollars if the low bidder performs.
No final award decision was recorded in the meeting minutes for the Gage County structures; staff said state reimbursement rules favor following the state bid when federal or state reimbursement is involved and recommended further review and potential tests (concrete cylinder breaks) before final selection.
Supervisors asked staff to clarify bidder names and corporate structure (Vogue, Vogue Scapes, Vogue Enterprises) and to follow up on performance history before final contract award decisions.
