Hardin County opens bids for secondary roads storage shed; NextGen appears low bidder at $992,459

County staff opened five sealed bids for a secondary roads storage shed during the meeting and announced bid totals; no award was made and the county will verify bid details and qualifications before proceeding.

Staff read bids and totals aloud and identified NextGen as the apparent low bidder at $992,459. Other totals read in the transcript included Stige Construction at $1,058,777 and an entry for England recorded in the transcript as '1288720'. One King entry in the transcript contains a numeric string that appears garbled and could not be reliably transcribed from the public record. The staff member said they would "check their math" and would involve the county attorney to confirm bidder qualifications; the board said staff should start with the apparent low bidder.

Why it matters: The storage shed procurement involves capital expenditures and local contractors. Identifying the true low, responsive, and responsible bidder is a necessary step before award and contract execution.

Details and next steps The board opened but did not award the bids; staff indicated they will verify bid security and subcontractor listings and then present a comparison for further action. The transcript records staff saying, "So they are the apparent low bid, and we will go through them and I'll check them," and the chair directing that the county attorney also "put eyes on them" to verify qualifications.

The county plans to review bid math and qualifications, starting with the apparent low bidder, and to return with a comparison for formal action at a later meeting.