Commissioners authorize moving forward with backup generator procurement despite long lead times

Beaver County commissioners directed staff to proceed with procurement steps for replacement backup emergency generators at the county’s facilities during the Oct. 22 work session, citing concern that current units contain obsolete parts and could fail before full project authorization is finalized.

The county’s parks or public works director (identified in the meeting as “director Brewer”) had provided an engineering timeline showing a roughly 20‑week delivery time for replacement equipment. A department head said that a bid package will take 60 to 90 days to prepare and asked whether funds were available to begin the procurement process before the budget is finalized.

One commissioner emphasized that the generator replacements are a capital expenditure that is “critical” and said county capital reserves should cover the cost until the budget is settled. “I would say go ahead. Let Ned do his thing, get the packages out and give them out there…We’ll start the process,” the commissioner said.

County staff agreed to request an updated project timeline from the contractor and to follow up with commissioners directly. Staff also discussed contingency plans — renting a generator or borrowing one from another agency — if a failure occurs before the replacements arrive.

Why it matters: County buildings rely on backup power for critical services; obsolete parts raise the risk of a failure that could interrupt operations. Commissioners asked staff to begin procurement work while documenting timelines and budget needs; no formal contract award was made at the work session.

Ending: Staff will send an updated timeline and the county will begin preparing bid materials with the understanding that temporary measures (rentals or interagency loans) may be necessary if a failure occurs before delivery of new equipment.