Kalamazoo road commission approves bid for tungsten-carbide cutting edges amid tariff uncertainty

The Board of County Road Commissioners for the County of Kalamazoo voted to award bid 2025-12 for underbody scraper tungsten-carbide cutting edges, approving the recommendation to split the award between the low and second-low bidders to guard against possible future tariffs.

The managing director explained the change in blade technology and the rationale for the procurement. “It's hard to believe it's July and we're talking about winter maintenance,” the Managing Director said, adding that the county's fleet of 36 snowplow trucks uses replaceable underbody scraper cutting edges. He said the county switched to tungsten-carbide insert blades in 2014–2015 and saw “5, sometimes 6, 7 times the life” compared with the prior flame-hardened blades, which sometimes lasted fewer than two snow events.

The managing director told commissioners the higher upfront cost is offset by reduced downtime and fewer blade changes during a season. He described awarding to two vendors — identified in the meeting transcript as Saint Regis Colbert (low bidder) and Volk Manufacturing (second low bidder meeting specifications) — to allow immediate fulfillment if a tariff is later applied to future orders. “The plan would be to order tomorrow based on board approval today,” the Managing Director said when asked whether an order could be placed before tariffs might materialize.

Commissioner Davis moved to approve the bid 2025-12; the motion carried on a voice vote after brief discussion of quantity estimates and tariff risk. Commissioners discussed approximate quantities: three 4-foot sections per truck as an average, yielding roughly 100 sections for a typical partial replacement and about 200 sections for a full fleet replacement if changed once per year. The meeting record does not provide a roll-call vote or exact tally; the chair declared the motion carried after the voice vote.

The board approved the procurement as presented and authorized purchase with the option to extend, per the bid specifications. The managing director said the initial purchase amount should supply the county for about two years.

Next steps: staff will place the initial order and monitor any tariff developments; further orders would be determined per the contract and market conditions.