County staff recommends reissuing demolition bid after supplemental and revised offers raised fairness concerns

Kayla Westlaw of the county tax department told the board that a contractor submitted a supplemental bid adding $83,000 for roof abatement after the county had accepted an earlier low bid, creating concern among commissioners about fairness and bid clarity.

Westlaw said the supplemental brought that vendor’s price back above the next-lowest bid but then the vendor revised its price again, leaving commissioners concerned the process lacked transparency. "It kinda takes the fairness out of the process," one commissioner said. Leslie Barlow Hunter of contracts and risk management told the board there is no single required advertisement period but said the county typically leaves solicitations open about 14 days and longer for complex projects to account for addenda and contractor questions.

Commissioners and staff debated options: cancel and rebid to correct specification errors (including whether the original asbestos report excluded the roof) or proceed with the existing lowest responsive bidder after clarifying addenda. Staff and commissioners asked for the solicitation to be reissued with clearer scope language, addenda incorporated, and a schedule that could allow reopening in October and receive bids through November, with work possibly starting after that timeline. The board did not make a formal award action during the recorded discussion; staff indicated they would prepare a revised solicitation and cost analysis for returning to the board, including how increased costs would be funded.