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Board refers Keith sanitary-sewer bids to staff after discussion of potential pipe donation
Summary
Officials opened five bids for the Keith sanitary sewer improvement project (base bids ranged roughly $3.77M–$5.94M; engineer's estimate ~$4.31M) and authorized staff to evaluate bids; commissioners also approved a letter supporting a possible PVC pipe donation from JM Eagle that could be processed as a change order if accepted.
Raleigh County commissioners opened five bids for the Keith Sanitary Sewer Benefit District improvement project on March 19 and then referred the package to staff for detailed evaluation.
Staff read base-bid totals and subtotals from bidders including Empire Construction (Manhattan) at about $3.77 million, J & K Contracting (Junction City) at about $4.75 million, Smoky Hill LLC (Salina) at about $4.93 million, Bennett, Inc. (Lamar, Mo.) at about $5.94 million, and an engineer’s estimate of $4,307,618. Attachments in the bid packages showed multiple addenda across February–March; staff noted the project included several system subtotals and a number of addenda.
After opening bids, a commissioner moved to send the bids to relevant county staff for analysis and recommendation; the board approved the referral. Staff said contractors may choose start dates within the contract window and that the project’s late start was set for August to allow flexibility.
Separately, planning/public-works staff described outreach from JM Eagle (a PVC supplier) and a volunteer donation effort from Keats residents asking whether material donations could reduce project costs. Staff said a donation—if it materialized—would be handled as a change order to the contractor’s award (deducted from the contractor’s bid) and estimated a potential donation value in the neighborhood of $100,000, though final figures were not confirmed. Commissioners voted to sign a letter of support for pursuing that potential donation.
The board’s referral to staff starts the formal bid-evaluation process, which will include checking bid bonds, addenda and start-date compliance before a recommendation to award a contract.
