Butte Silver Bow water officials opened sealed bids for chemical supplies at the Jan. 7 council meeting and the Council of Commissioners voted to refer the bids to the Public Works Department for review.

Water Plant Superintendent Jim Keenan said the county received 11 bids for 10 chemicals used by the water and wastewater treatment plants and Ridge Waters Water Park. Staff read per-chemical prices from multiple vendors, confirmed 10% bid bonds where required and noted that the county’s procurement practice is to accept the low bid per chemical provided vendor requirements are met.

Examples of bid prices announced in the meeting included a 50% citric acid bid at $1.47 per pound from Shannon Chemical Corporation and several per-pound and per-ton prices read aloud for other vendors. Keenan and staff confirmed that some bidders offered multiple chemicals and that quantities and short-load pricing applied for certain items.

Commissioner Morgan moved to refer the bids to Public Works for further review; the motion was seconded and passed on a recorded vote of 10-0.

Next steps: the Public Works Department will evaluate bid compliance, determine low responsive bids per item and return a recommendation to the council for award.