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Oneida County awards $459,000 fire-panel upgrade after bid compliance concerns
Summary
The County Facilities Committee on March 9 accepted a $459,000 bid from Systems Technologies for multi-year fire-panel upgrades after finding competing bids noncompliant; committee members said the decision favored compliance and long-term reliability over lowest price.
Chairman Russ Fisher convened the Oneida County Facilities Committee on March 9, 2026, where members voted to award a $459,000 contract to Systems Technologies to replace or upgrade fire panels across four county facilities.
Troy Huber, a Buildings and Grounds department representative, told the committee the department received three bids: SGTS Inc. for $113,863.72, Van Ert for $324,500, and Systems Technologies for $459,000. Huber recommended Systems Technologies, saying SGTS Inc.'s proposal was incomplete, lacked component counts, did not include an in-person walkthrough and raised reference-check concerns. Huber also said Van Ert proposed repairing an existing Courthouse panel with a proprietary approach that did not meet the bid's requirement for a nonproprietary system.
The committee discussed the tradeoff between cost and conformity with bid specifications. Robert Almekinder moved to accept Systems Technologies' bid; Michael Tautges seconded the motion. "All committee members present voted 'Aye.'" The motion carried.
Huber said the project will be a multi-year contract across four facilities: Timber Drive in 2026, Courthouse in 2027, and the Law Enforcement Center and Health & ADRC in 2028. Funding allocated in the three-year plan is $50,000 for 2026, $250,000 for 2027 and $250,000 for 2028; Huber noted the Systems Technologies bid remains roughly $90,000 below the aggregate three-year project budget.
Committee members acknowledged the high dollar amount and the likelihood of questions about selecting the highest bid but emphasized that other bids failed to meet stated requirements. The department will proceed with contract award and procurement steps consistent with county procedures.
The committee did not discuss a change order schedule during the meeting; Huber said the department had completed reference checks and would manage contract compliance during project execution.
The Facilities Committee adjourned at 9:29 a.m.
