Sedgwick County board approves multiple Public Works materials contracts

The Sedgwick County Board of Bids and Contracts on Sept. 25 approved a set of procurement contracts for road- and drainage-related materials, awarding river sand, hot-mix asphalt, SB2 aggregate and paving oil under one-year contracts with renewal options.

Purchasing staff recommended the awards and noted cost and availability factors shaped the recommendations. For river sand the board accepted a contract with Conspec Incorporated, dba Kansas Paving, at $2.86 per ton — a roughly 2% per-ton reduction from the previous contract. For hot-mix asphalt Purchasing recommended Pearson Materials LLC using the asphalt material index for pricing; that recommendation drew discussion because APAC submitted a lower unit price but was less consistently available at the county's preferred Wichita plant.

"APAC was a low bid on the asphalt price," said Daniel Shrant, with Sedgwick County Public Works, explaining why Purchasing recommended Pearson despite the lower unit bid: "When we add in the cost of fuel, the trucking wear and tear, and the labor hours that is involved with trucking... we would be paying more to APAC compared to Pearson." The board accepted the explanation and voted to award the Pearson contract.

Board members also approved a contract for SB2 aggregate and for SS1H polymer emulsified oil, with Purchasing noting the county factors hauling and mileage when determining best value. All of the listed Public Works items were approved by voice vote.

The contracts take effect according to the procurement documents and include the renewal options noted in the recommendations. The Board adjourned after completing the listed items for the agenda.