Highway staff recommends moving to electronic bidding for county projects; questions on safeguards remain

Highway Engineer Nick Bergman briefed the board on progress researching electronic bidding for county projects and recommended adopting a third‑party electronic bid process used by neighboring counties.

Staff described a proposed workflow: set a bid deadline (for example late Thursday), allow the third party to hold electronic submissions, print a bid tab for internal review and present recommendations at the subsequent Tuesday meeting for award. Bergman suggested keeping certain items (such as gravel crushing) as physical or alternative bid methods because some local contractors may not be set up for fully electronic bidding.

Commissioners asked about safeguards to prevent bid rigging and about potential costs (platform fees typically passed to contractors). Bergman said the county is still gathering information and will consult construction‑payment software vendors and other counties to understand safeguards and vendor capabilities before finalizing the approach. No formal procurement policy change was adopted at this meeting; staff will return with more details.