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Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify the rejected proposal was only for or the HVAC replacement project.
Bastrop County rejected an approximately $9.8 million construction proposal for a HVAC replacement project to the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex during a Dec. 22 meeting.
In a nutshell
The approximately $9.8 million construction proposal from QA Construction was the only one Bastrop County received.
“This proposed pricing is not considered fair and reasonable,” Leon Scaife, a purchasing agent for Bastrop County, said in a staff report.
The budget, he emphasized, is about $4 million.
“A lot of the [45] contractors that showed up knew right off the bat that [this project] was outside of their wheelhouse, but we expected more than one [proposal] to come in for this,” Scaife said.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Clara Beckett reflected on past proposals for other projects.
“When we do get multiple bids, there’s a huge disparity between low and high,” she said.
Some background
Scaife previously discussed the scope of two planned projects to the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex, which Bastrop County hired Architexas to design in 2024.
Base work for the HVAC replacement project will include:
Both projects—expected to take 565 calendar days to complete—will be paid for with Capital Improvement Plan funds and certificates of obligation, according to county documents.
The outlook
The HVAC project will be rebid through BuyBoard, a purchasing cooperative, to utilize pre-bid contracts with manufacturers, according to county documents.
