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Kootenai County awards $1.884 million contract for jail HVAC upgrade; commissioners note budget shortfall
Summary
The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 26 to award a contract to Apollo Mechanical Contractors for HVAC upgrades at the Kootenai County Jail in a motion approved during the board’s business meeting.
The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 26 to award a contract to Apollo Mechanical Contractors for HVAC upgrades at the Kootenai County Jail in a motion approved during the board’s business meeting.
Director Vohler, who presented the project, told commissioners the county received a single bid from Apollo Mechanical Contractors for $1,884,000. He said the county had previously set aside $1,433,000 for construction, creating a shortfall that staff are working to address.
Vohler explained that the county has $400,000 currently earmarked for a juvenile justice chiller project and recommended deferring that project to help cover the higher cost. “Bringing in the additional $400,000, we're still just a little bit short and, that we need, 50,587 out of fund balance,” Vohler said. He also told the board an alternate supplier submitted pricing late that could reduce the overall cost: “There could be some cost savings with that up to maybe $300,000.” Later in the discussion a commissioner summarized the budget gap as “450,000 roughly, almost 451,000 past what we have budgeted for this project,” and Vohler agreed.
Vohler said staff will continue review with the project engineer and pursue any allowable substitutions; if acceptable, the county intends to present a contract with a change order that would not exceed the $1,884,000 bid cap. He said the late supplier pricing arrived after the bid date and is under evaluation to confirm it meets specifications and structural requirements.
After the presentation, a motion to award the contract to Apollo Mechanical Contractors passed during the meeting. The board voted to issue a notice to proceed to the apparent low bidder and directed staff to return with a final contract reflecting any negotiated savings or required change orders.
The board did not adopt a final funding source in the motion; Vohler said any additional funds would be allocated when staff return with the final contract.
