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County staff lay out furniture options as tariffs put Global Furnishings prices in flux
Summary
Project staff told commissioners tariffs may raise the cost of a previously selected Global Furnishings package; staff outlined three price/lead-time options for roughly 65 desks and sought direction ahead of an April 1 order target.
Kootenai County project staff told the Board of County Commissioners on March 4 that new tariff guidance could increase the price of a previously selected furniture package and presented three options for outfitting the justice building and associated offices.
Project staff said Global Furnishings—chosen during earlier procurement discussions—has a U.S. corporate address in New Jersey but sources some manufacturing from Canada; the vendor warned the county and its contract-design representative that new tariff rules may require additional charges on upcoming orders. Staff outlined three options: continue with Global (previously quoted at about $1,300 per typical desk but potentially subject to added tariff charges), switch to U.S.-based manufacturers (Herman Miller, OFS, Kentucky Office Furniture) with typical desks roughly $1,800 each, or buy an off-the-shelf import package from an importer identified in the memorandum (referred to in the discussion as HBC) at about $999 per typical desk.
Project staff said lead times differ: Global’s quoted lead time is roughly eight weeks; the importer’s stock option could ship in two to four weeks. Commissioners and staff discussed durability and edge treatment as factors that affect long-term value; staff suggested testing samples and confirming whether higher-priced U.S. options are fully manufactured in the United States. The county expects to buy roughly 65 desks; staff said choosing the $999 option would save roughly $42,000 compared with the higher-priced options under the scenario discussed.
Commissioners asked for time to confirm what U.S.-branded options actually manufacture domestically and for staff to return with clarified options before a target order date. Project staff said the target order date is April 1 to meet an eight-week delivery window if using Global. No formal procurement decision or vote was recorded at the March 4 status meeting.
Public comment at the end of the meeting urged the county to seek a volume discount and proposed using license-plate readers to improve collection of boat-launch fees elsewhere on county property; those comments were not directly connected to the furniture procurement but were voiced during the public comment period.
