Rutherford County’s Purchasing Committee voted Dec. 22 to award the Recovery Point facility’s HVAC replacement to Advance Mechanical after weighing cost, contractor capacity, timeline and insurance coverage.

Staff told the committee the project is substantial — it requires removal and replacement of ductwork in tight attic and crawlspace conditions — and must be completed in time to satisfy a grant that pays "almost $80,000," a timeline staff said requires finishing by March. "There’s a grant that we have on this that pays almost $80,000," staff said when describing the funding contingency and the urgency of the schedule.

Four firms submitted bids. Staff reported that on price alone Miller was lowest with Advance higher; but Advance offered the strongest insurance package, including a $5,000,000 umbrella policy that risk management said would cover gaps in other required policies. Staff recommended Advance because they believed Advance could meet the grant deadline and had the personnel capacity (Advance reported more field staff) to complete the work quickly.

Committee members debated tradeoffs: some favored choosing Miller, a contractor with prior local experience, and discussed adding a deadline/penalty clause to a Miller contract to reduce fiscal risk. County risk management and staff noted that Miller’s insurance did not meet all RFP requirements, whereas Advance’s umbrella policy would cover the shortfall. Ultimately the committee moved to accept Advance Mechanical’s recommendation.

Carter called the roll for the award. The recorded votes included Commissioner Peay: No; Commissioner Boyd: Yes; Commissioner Gates: Yes; Commissioner Phillips: No; Commissioner McNeese: Yes; Mister Johnson: Aye; Chairman Carr: Yes. The motion passed 5–2.

Next steps: staff will finalize contract terms with Advance Mechanical and work to include schedule assurances tied to the grant deadline where possible. Staff also discussed possible contract language to assign penalties or remediation if the project missed the grant‑required completion date.