County engineers recommend skipping low bidder after quality inspections for Georgetown Lake road overlay

County engineers and staff recommended the award of the Georgetown Lake Road Overlay contract to Hoffman's R&M Services after field inspections raised concerns about the workmanship of the lowest responsive bidder, Hollow Contracting.

Sara Cline of Trihydro said the bid opening produced six offers, one of which was non-responsive, and the lowest responsive bid came from Hollow Contracting. "Based on some recent experience with their work here in Anaconda, there were some concerns," Cline said, describing inconsistencies in asphalt mix, poorly finished seams and elevation differences that can lead to premature aging and water infiltration.

CEO Bill Everett said county staff visited Hollow's work in Butte and found the finished product unacceptable. "The quality of the road work was just garbage," Everett said. He and county staff cited problems on several projects — including municipal streets and parking areas — and said the county conducted follow-up calls with other contracting agencies before concluding Hollow's past performance did not inspire confidence.

Cline recommended awarding the project to the second-lowest responsive, responsible bidder, Hoffman's R&M Services, for $138,150, "provided adequate funding is available." County Attorney Morgan Smith confirmed the county had documented its rationale for selecting a more responsible bidder despite not being the low bid.

The work session discussion did not record a final award vote; staff recommended the county proceed with the responsible-bidder approach to avoid early failure and higher lifecycle maintenance costs.