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Effingham County ratifies wastewater plant contract and approves amendments to fund reuse and discharge work
Summary
The county ratified a construction contract for a new 2.0 MGD wastewater treatment plant and approved staff‑recommended amendments that increase the project budget to cover Phase B (reuse and discharge line) and associated contingencies; officials said the bids were near engineer estimates and ARPA timing required rapid action.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 7 ratified a contract for a new 2.0‑million‑gallon‑per‑day wastewater treatment plant and approved amendments that staff said increase funding for a reuse and discharge line.
County staff said the original construction contract was estimated at about $41.7 million and that previous contingency work and latest amendments raised the project total. County staff told commissioners the latest amendment adds funds to cover a Phase B scope — a reuse customer connection and a discharge line to the Ogeechee River — and increases contingency to reduce the risk of schedule delays. "We requested additional funds, and they approved our request for additional funds," county staff said during the meeting.
Tim (county staff) said the contract award to Ruby Collins Incorporated followed a competitive bidding process and that the low bid was close to the engineer’s estimate. "We were very happy with the bid," he said. Staff also told the board that timing tied to ARPA allocations required the county to sign and ratify the bid prior to year end; the board voted to ratify the award.
Commissioners pressed staff on the contingency and procurement process and were told the contract includes customary contingency increases and phased division so construction of the primary plant can proceed while Phase B design and permitting are finalized.
What happens next: staff will finalize the construction contract documents and proceed with procurement milestones; county officials said they will bring further contract documents and updates back to the board as the project moves toward construction and permitting.
Provenance: The project and grant amendment were discussed in the board’s new business (wastewater grant amendment, SEG 853–892) and the contract ratification and award to Ruby Collins were presented and ratified later on the agenda (contract discussion and ratification, SEG 1677–1727).
