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Paving bids unsealed; county tables award after $375,000 price gap
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Summary
Hamilton County unsealed two paving bids April 27 — E & B Paving at $556,300 and Ram Construction at $931,641.60 — and referred the award to the Highway Department for review because of the large discrepancy; E & B provided a $125,000 cashier's check in lieu of a bid bond.
Hamilton County staff unsealed paving bids received through the county's OpenGov procurement system on April 27 and identified a substantial pricing discrepancy that prompted the board to table an award and send the matter to the Highway Department for review.
Procurement staff read two bids: one from E & B Paving listing a total of $556,300, and one from Ram Construction Services (Michigan) read initially with a formatting error that was corrected to $931,641.60. Staff said the system required bidders to upload required documents — non-collusion affidavit, Form 96 and similar materials — before proposals could be submitted and that those documents were present for both bidders.
Because the two bids differed by roughly $375,000, the commissioners directed Highway staff to review the submissions and move the award at a later Highway meeting if appropriate. The board voted to table the award and to have humans review the uploaded files, pricing details and any addendum or extras that might explain the variance.
E & B additionally submitted a $125,000 cashier’s check in lieu of a bid bond; staff tendered that check to the county auditor to hold until final order on the project.
Why it matters: The gap between the lowest and higher bid is large enough to raise procurement and evaluation questions; tabling until Highway’s review preserves competitive integrity while preventing a premature award. If the lower bid is valid, it could save county funds; if it is incomplete or in error, the county must ensure fair treatment of bidders.
Next steps: Highway staff will review documentation and pricing; the item may return to a commissioners meeting (staff indicated intent to present it at the Friday meeting or the next timely highway meeting).
