Daggett MBA opens bids for clinic structural fill; engineer to vet materials before award

The Daggett County Municipal Building Authority opened bids June 27 for supply and delivery of up to 900 cubic yards of structural fill for the county's new clinic, but delayed any award until engineers validate which materials meet the project's gradation and proctor specifications.

Speaker 1 announced the bid opening and Speaker 3 read multiple envelopes received July 1 that were submitted through Cowboy Construction and other suppliers. Bids varied by source and particle gradation: one high-cost offer using material from Schneider Construction was read with a total reported as about $99,552 (a conflicting readback in the transcript recorded $99,005.52); Black's Fork Dirt Works quoted $27.50 per yard material and $46.80 delivery for a reported total of $59,440 on an 800-yard basis; SCI-sourced material via Cowboy Construction was read at $27.50 per yard material and $43.13 delivery (total $56,504 on an 800-yard basis); Burdick Materials (CRH) bid 3/4-inch road base at $30.52/yd material and $53.63/yd delivery (total $67,320); and Sunrock quoted 1-inch road base at $33.66/yd material and $43.13/yd delivery (total $61,432).

Speaker 2, who had reviewed gradation and supplier notes, told the board this supplier mix presented different gradation profiles and that only some sources clearly met the engineer's specs. "I had a hard time finding material that met the gradation spec and the plastics limit and the proctor," Speaker 2 said, noting that Black's Fork Dirt Works appeared to meet spec directly from the gravel pit, while Burdick's sample had larger rock sizes that left more material retained on the 3/4-inch screen.

Members agreed the engineer should determine which bids comply with technical specifications before the board considered price or supplier origin. Speaker 3 said he preferred to defer to the engineer: "If it comes up with more than one that meets spec, then we're down to price," he said. Speaker 6 asked whether the board would recess to secure real-time engineer input.

To allow immediate review, Speaker 3 moved and Speaker 1 seconded to recess the Municipal Building Authority and reconvene in the Daggett County Commission meeting so engineers could be asked to review bids; the motion passed with affirmative votes. The authority will await the engineer's determination of which bids meet the specification before returning to award direction; until then, no contractor was selected and no purchase order was issued.

The bids were opened and recorded for the public file; the board directed staff to provide copies to the engineer for evaluation and to return with a recommendation. The board also emphasized that specification compliance would be prioritized over price and that, if multiple bids meet spec, price and origin would be considered.

Next steps: engineers will review the submitted gradation, proctor and plasticity reports and advise whether bidders meet the RFP criteria; the MBA planned to reconvene through the commission meeting to receive that guidance.