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Madison County delays decision on engineering award for $4 million wastewater upgrade
Summary
County staff told commissioners an ARC grant will cover $2 million of an estimated $4 million wastewater treatment upgrade; the recommended firm drew questions about pricing and capacity, and the board postponed final selection until July 27 for further review.
Madison County commissioners on July 6 postponed a decision on which engineering firm will design and oversee a planned wastewater treatment improvement project after questions about pricing, scope and the recommended firm's availability.
A county staff member told the board the project is tied to an ARC grant of $2,000,000 and would require a $2,000,000 local match, making the overall project about $4,000,000. “We've been awarded a 2,000,000 grant,” the staff member said during the meeting.
Staff presented RFQ evaluation sheets that favored Turnipseed Engineering. Commissioners and staff raised concerns that the firms used different fee-sheet approaches, producing widely disparate cost estimates, and that Turnipseed may have a heavy backlog. One commissioner urged the board to ask the top-ranked firms to confirm and reconcile their fee estimates so the county can compare "apples to apples."
The county's QBS/selection adviser noted that design services are not subject to Georgia Public Works construction law in the same way construction contractors are and that the county can negotiate with the top-rated firm under typical QBS procedures, but if negotiations fail the county must move to the next-ranked firm. The adviser recommended follow-up with the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission and suggested staff could ask the top one or two firms for clarification or interviews.
After discussion, the board voted to postpone action on the RFQ award until a subsequent meeting set for July 27 so staff can seek clarifying information from the recommended firms and ensure fee comparisons are consistent.
Next steps: staff will request clarified fee schedules or interviews with the top-ranked firms and return with updated comparisons for the July 27 meeting.
