HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of the Board of County Commissioners agenda on Monday, they will discuss bids for the courthouse roof project.
In mid-December the county received bids for the courthouse roof project and courthouse space renovation project that were both authorized by the commission to send out to bids on October 11, 2022.
Both bid openings resulted in significantly higher than GLMV’s estimates. Staff has worked with GLMV to determine whether the specs need to be modified and possibly rebid.
The roof bid was estimated to be between $110,000-$140,000, which is around $16-20 per square foot.
The lowest bid was $500,419.02, approximately $50 per square foot. There were no local bids. Reno County has the cash reserves to pay for this high-cost bid, but instead of doing this, staff recommends GLMV to modify the spec sheets and rebid the project.
Brad with GLMV reached out to a Wichita roofer (not a bidder) to see if there might be a reason for the high bids. Brad found that the roofing industry is volatile, and they experienced 25% inflation in the past month. Other reasons for high bids might include roofers busy with other projects, so the timing might not be the best. Brad estimates that basic roofing projects that are not as complex as the courthouse are coming in around $20 per square foot.
Staff is recommending that the project be rebid, but commissioners need to approve that. They will meet Monday at 9 a.m. at the Reno County Annex.
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