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Commission authorizes staff to secure contract for new fuel pump system; requests better pricing
Summary
Osage County commissioners authorized staff to pursue a contract with Double Check for a new gas-pump and card/fob system for the county fuel island and directed staff to obtain a clearer final price and PO before purchase; staff requested the purchase come from the general fund.
The Osage County Commission authorized county staff to move forward with securing a contract with Double Check to replace the county’s fuel pump and card-reader system after staff presented operational failures with the current equipment during the April 29 meeting.
Ryan Fein, a county staff member who oversees fuel operations, said the existing magnetic-stripe card reader and pump telemetry are failing and that replacement parts are no longer available for the current system, which was installed around 2014. Fein described recurring outages that require manual interventions and said the recommended replacement includes a forced-lift pump system and modern card/fob (chip) readers with point-to-point communications to the county office. Fein said vendors reported that older magnetic-strip parts are obsolete and that a modernized system would reduce downtime. “They have no more parts for the system,” Fein said.
Fein asked commissioners to allow the county to secure the contract and then present a purchase order for their review; he recommended the county fund the equipment from the general fund because unleaded fuel is used by multiple departments. Commissioners approved a motion authorizing Fein to pursue the contract with Double Check and directed staff to return with a formal purchase order once a final price was secured. The motion passed by voice vote.
During discussion, staff said the new system would use durable key fobs (estimated initial set for departments) rather than fragile magnetic cards, that diesel pumps are not deteriorated, and that local electricians will be needed to connect the new equipment. Commissioners encouraged staff to negotiate a better price and confirmed that the county would likely pay some installation-related electrical costs from building funds while the equipment itself would be procured through the vendor.
Fein said the county typically pays bulk fuel rates when its pumps are working and that outages force departments to procure fuel elsewhere at higher retail rates; he described the operational and accounting problems caused by pump failures and said modern equipment would reduce those disruptions. Staff will return with the negotiated price and a formal PO for commission approval before the county issues a deposit or finalizes the purchase.
