Moffat County waives bids and awards $207,514 dozer rebuild to Wagner Equipment

Moffat County commissioners on July 22 unanimously approved waiving the competitive bid process and awarded a contract to Wagner Equipment of Hayden to rebuild a 1989 D6 Caterpillar dozer for an estimated $207,514.26.

Road and Bridge staff said a complete rebuild by Wagner would include drivetrain work and come with an extended warranty. Staff described the rebuild as a cost-saving alternative to purchasing a new machine: current midline D6 models are priced at roughly $600,000, while the rebuilt unit would be covered by a five-year or 6,000-hour warranty, according to staff and Wagner's quote.

The department asked the board to waive the bid process as a single-source procurement for the rebuild and then to approve the contract when it was presented. A commissioner moved and a second was recorded for the waiver; the board voted "Aye" and the chair declared the motion carried. The board then voted to award the work to Wagner Equipment for the amount stated, again approving by voice vote.

Road and Bridge staff said the county's last dozer purchase was a slightly used D7 in 2021 for $581,737 and that the county previously purchased a D6 in 2007. Staff said three of the county's four dozers were out of service and that refurbishing older equipment is now a regular strategy because new-equipment prices and lead times make replacements unaffordable.

Staff estimated the rebuild would take a couple of months and said if the project succeeds they may seek to rebuild other equipment such as motor graders in the future to extend service life and reduce capital expense.

The board directed staff to return with a final cost and a report on how the rebuilt machine performs before proceeding with additional rebuilds.