County and Service Authority cancel propane‑tank solicitation after single high bid

The King George County Board of Supervisors and the Service Authority voted March 3 to cancel an invitation‑for‑bid for removal and replacement of county/service‑authority propane tanks after staff reported only a single bid and members raised operational concerns.

Procurement presented the lone response for the combined county and Service Authority work with a total base bid shown in the meeting packet (approximately $147,312) and noted the Service Authority portion would have been roughly $88,433. Several supervisors and Service Authority members objected to moving forward on a single bid at that price and described logistical challenges swapping tanks at dozens of small pump‑station sites, where site footprints often preclude staging a second tank during the swap.

“Some of these propane tanks are only used once a year as standby generators,” a supervisor said, arguing the capital outlay would not produce a reasonable return for many sites where no easy place exists for a second tank. Another board member noted that the Service Authority’s pump‑station sites often have limited room and that coordinating simultaneous contractor visits to swap tanks across dozens of sites would be impractical.

After discussion, a motion to cancel the solicitation carried unanimously for both the county and the Service Authority. Staff told the board they will explore narrower procurements or alternate vendor arrangements rather than pursue the single high‑price bid.

What this means: The county will stop work on the current procurement for propane tank replacement and will pursue an alternative approach; critical standby power requirements at pump stations remain unchanged and staff said they will continue operations and evaluate options.