Brown County awards $2.52 million contract for landfill cell seal after low bidder withdraws

Brown County commissioners approved awarding the construction contract for Landfill Seal No. 5 to Midland Contracting of South Dakota for $2,524,525.07 after the low bidder withdrew its submission citing a bidder-instruction allowance for correcting substantial bid mistakes.

County staff member Lee, who reported on the procurement, said Gold Hills initially submitted the low bid but contacted staff within 44 hours to request withdrawal under the invitation-to-bid instructions. Lee told the commission that, following the withdrawal, staff recommended awarding the contract to the next-lowest responsive bidder, Midland Contracting, and asked the commission to authorize execution of contract documents and the chairman’s signature. “Gold Hills went low, and then they promptly reached out within 44 hours to request withdraw their bid,” Lee said. The commission moved and carried the award and signature authorization by voice vote.

Why it matters: the contract includes a milestone tied to leachate-pond work, with staff noting the county’s leachate pond needs work and the schedule calls for significant early progress (staff referenced a target milestone by July 1). The award moves the landfill sealing project into contract-execution and pre-construction scheduling.

What’s next: staff will obtain signed contract documents, performance and payment bonds and insurance certificates, issue a notice to proceed, and schedule a pre-construction meeting with the contractor.