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County approves amendment with Cal Valley Engineering after billing dispute
Summary
Riley County commissioners approved an amendment to Cal Valley Engineering’s inspection contract for a county construction project after staff and the firm negotiated to limit additional billing; the firm agreed to defer a roughly $9,000 invoice until project completion.
Riley County commissioners on Dec. 16 approved an amendment to the county’s construction-inspection agreement with Cal Valley Engineering following a multiweek dispute over higher-than-expected invoices.
The amendment, moved and seconded during the meeting, followed several rounds of discussion between county public works staff and Cal Valley representatives about why inspection costs exceeded the original time-and-materials estimate. Cal Valley said most overruns stemmed from the masons’ chosen construction methods and more frequent site visits than the firm had anticipated.
“Most of the overruns are costs…Estimates were due to the method of constructing in the block walls,” John Oliver, Riley County public works director, told commissioners while summarizing the background. Randy Purdue of Cal Valley Engineering said the firm had continued to perform required inspections and offered a compromise: the firm would finish the work as planned, not bill the county further beyond invoices already submitted, and allow the county to withhold payment of about $9,000 until the job is complete.
Purdue told the commission, “We won’t bill you any further. We won’t require any payment on the $9,000 that’s owed until the job’s complete.” Commissioners approved the amendment with that understanding.
County staff and the consultant also acknowledged a communication breakdown: the county’s construction manager did not provide earlier warning the inspection bill would climb, and Cal Valley acknowledged it could have escalated the issue sooner. Commissioners said they expect clearer, earlier notices if projected costs exceed budget estimates in future projects.
The amendment does not change the contract scope of required inspections; rather, it documents the billing resolution and the parties’ agreement about deferred payment of the remaining invoice. The county’s public works director and Cal Valley said the inspection reports and testing data were completed while work proceeded.
Commissioners did not identify any additional payments required at the meeting beyond the previously invoiced amounts and the deferred $9,000, and they recorded the amendment approval in the meeting minutes.
