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Saline County awards $41,535 bridge inspection contract to comply with new federal SNBI rules
Summary
Saline County approved a consultant contract with Schwab Eaton to perform SNBI-compliant inspections for 213 bridges at $195 per bridge ($41,535 total), citing new federal data requirements and lack of in-house KDOT-qualified inspection team leader.
The Saline County Commission on June 16 approved awarding a contract to Schwab Eaton for routine bridge inspections and SNBI (national bridge inventory) data collection for 213 county bridges at a proposed cost of $195 per bridge, for a total contract value of $41,535.
County Engineer Justin Meador told the board that new federal SNBI requirements substantially increased data collection, documentation and quality-assurance duties for each bridge inspection and that the county’s engineering staff does not currently include a KDOT-qualified bridge inspection team leader required to oversee the program. The county issued a request for proposals on April 23 and evaluated firms on SNBI experience, client references and cost per bridge; Meador said Schwab Eaton demonstrated experience inspecting over 1,000 bridges recently for Kansas bridge owners and maintains a local office.
Meador said the consulting team includes KDOT-certified bridge inspection personnel and staff experienced entering data into InspectX (the state database). The project will be funded from the county’s special bridge account; Meador reported an unencumbered balance in that account of about $1,061,000.
Board members asked several clarifying questions about bid spreadsheets and inspection types (element-level inspections versus routine inspections). Meador said the federal definition of a bridge (length over 20 feet) includes some box culverts and grouped pipe structures that meet the criteria, which contributed to the county’s count of 213 structures.
The commission moved, seconded, and approved RFA 2026-73 to award the bridge-inspection contract to Schwab Eaton.
