Bastrop County’s Commissioners Court was not buying what it saw on Dec. 22, voting to reject a single roughly $9.8 million construction proposal for major HVAC and roof work at the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail complex. Officials said the lone offer came in far higher than the county expected to pay, and both county staff and the project architect urged commissioners to reopen the process in hopes of landing more competitive prices and a tighter schedule.
Staff packet shows the numbers
According to a staff report presented at the Dec. 22 meeting, Purchasing Agent Leon Scaife noted that the architect’s construction estimate for the HVAC portion was about $4 million. The only base bid received, from QA Construction, totaled $9,788,000, with bid alternates adding roughly $927,000. QA’s proposal also projected a 565-calendar-day construction timeline, according to the Bastrop County meeting packet. The packet recommended rejecting the single proposal as “not considered fair and reasonable” and asked the court to authorize a rebid of the project through BuyBoard so the county could tap into pre-bid contracts with manufacturers. Bastrop County meeting packet.
Architect urged rejection
Architexas, the design firm on the project, told county staff in an email included in the packet that only one proposal had come in, that it “was not competitive,” and that the bid was “significantly outside the budget and timeline.” Using that same language, the architect recommended turning it down. County staff also advised the court that getting just one submittal and facing such a long construction window made rebidding through a cooperative purchase the preferred path. Bastrop County meeting packet.
What the work would have covered
The combined project scope called for replacing courthouse HVAC systems and modifying the annex structure to support rooftop units, along with asbestos and lead abatement. On the roofing side, crews would tear off the existing sheet-metal systems and install thermoplastic polyolefin and standing-seam roofing, add new drainage, replace a roof hatch, and restore lightning protection, as reported by Community Impact. Local reporting and county documents also note that about 45 contractors attended pre-bid events, but only QA Construction ultimately submitted a proposal, and the work was slated to be funded through Capital Improvement Plan dollars and certificates of obligation, according to Community Impact.
What comes next
The commissioners signed off on a plan to rebid the project using a cooperative purchasing approach, which officials say should let the county lean on pre-vetted manufacturer contracts and avoid a repeat of the one-bid scenario. BuyBoard, the cooperative program Bastrop County plans to use, is designed to speed public procurement by letting local governments purchase from vendors that have already gone through a competitive solicitation process, according to BuyBoard.
