Commission considers using firm to create RFPs for projects, questions whether bid notice ran in newspaper

The Linn County Courthouse needs work on its roof. The county has received two bids and is waiting to open those bids until a third bid is received. Commissioners asked if there was a time limit on bidding but discovered that the request for bids may have never been published. (Journal file photo)

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – On Tuesday, May 27, the Linn County Commissioners discussed whether the gazebo on the courthouse lawn should be repaired or torn down. Commissioner Alison Hamilton wanted to wait until a company she was in contact with looked at it and wrote a request for proposal (RFP) for it.

Earlier in the meeting, discussion had centered on courthouse projects and bids for work on the courthouse roof and whether two bids already received could wait to be opened until a third bid was prepared. The question arose whether the request for bids had ever been published in the county's legal newspaper, but no one knew if it had been.

Public works director Jesse Walton started out the discussion about the gazebo telling the commissioners that the gazebo was in pretty rough shape and that it was held together with hose clamps but the foundation that it sits on seems to be very stable.

Commissioner Jason Hightower asked if yellow caution tape had been put around it to make sure the county doesn’t have a liability issue.

Walton said that had been discussed when he found out that it was being held together with clamps but nothing had been done yet.

“I think we ought to take it down if it is going to be a safety hazard,” said Walton. “And then maybe erecting a new one in the same position.”

Hamilton told the group that she had previously met with a company called Gordian and she was going to meet with some of the guys that were coming to Mound City today.

“They come in and they’re going to do the procurement and the resource as far as issuing request for proposals (RFPs) and that whole process. It’s free to us, no matter when we use them, it’s free,” said Hamilton.

“And this is for?” asked Hightower.

“So it’s for RFPs, anything construction related, not roads, nothing like that,” said Hamilton. 

Hamilton said that when the county puts out RFPs they don’t have a lot of options on how they are reaching bidders right now. She said that maybe when they had the new website, the county might have like a vendor portal that the commissioners had discussed.

“But in the meantime, there’s this company that they come in. They’ll do everything, the RFPs, put it out, put it to their people, and then they give all the RFP information back to us, we can still put it in the paper. We can still see who locally is submitting an RFP as well,” said Hamilton. “However, if we do open all the bids and we choose someone from their company that they had provided, that’s how they make their money.”

Like a flat fee, said Walton.

Hamilton said that a company representative was coming that afternoon and this was just something that she was going to look at. She said they are doing it for free so that the county can see how their software and everything works. She said that the county would not have to use them this time or do anything with this company.  They just want an opportunity to show how they can do it.

Hamilton said, “Let’s say they do one on the courthouse and one on the gazebo, you can see how and what RFPs, like what type of information you are going to get back from people that they use. That’s not saying that we can’t put it in the paper as well. it’s not saying that we can’t have bids submitted locally. It’s just another option because I feel like we’re not getting bids back from local contractors. Not enough.”

“We would like to have multiple bids on projects to make sure that everything’s on the up and up,” agreed Hightower.

Hamilton said she wanted this company to come and do this so the other commissioners could see it and what that looks like.

Hightower agreed with that.

Hamilton suggested that the company could do the gazebo while they were out there. She said she did not think that it was a big deal if the company did one for repairs and one for demo. 

“Obviously, taking it (gazebo) down would be super simple for us to do. Is that the direction we want to go?” asked Hamilton. “If it’s something that can be repaired, I’m fine with that. But if it’s not, then I’m also okay with taking it down.”   

Walton said he would like to take it down and just put a new one in there. Just build on top of what we’ve got there.

Hamilton said they could have the company give an estimate on repairing or a demo 

and rebuild.

Hamilton added, “In the meantime I think caution tape would look a little tacky but it is pretty bad. But if it’s only a week, I guess you could put it.”    

“We’re not going to tear it down?” asked Hightower.

“I think we should wait a week, but only because I would like to see what this company could provide as far as RFPs,” said Hamilton. “Your recommendation is to tear it down?”

Walton said that was his recommendation.

County Clerk Danielle Souza said that that a person could go out there and just push on the pylons.

Hamilton asked if the county had any other signs to put up like a “Do Not Enter.”

Walton said there were some barricades that they could probably put up.

Hamilton said she would like to wait a week and then she would be open to making a move on Monday on the building. She said that she just wanted make sure that they were all in agreement that they were going to put something back up if they decide to take it down.

Hightower and Johnson agreed. In the end, they moved the gazebo decision to the June 9 meeting.

The earlier discussion about whether an RFP had been published for the courthouse roof and if it had whether a deadline had been listed in the RFP seems to support that the county needs help with the RFP process.

Commissioners decided to hold off on opening the two bids received for the courthouse roof for another week after hearing from Walton that he had just talked to another individual who also was interested in placing a bid on the project. Walton requested the delay so that the other person could get a bid in. 

Commission Chair Jim Johnson asked if there had been a deadline for the bids listed in the ad.

Hightower also questioned if there had been a deadline in the ad.

Walton said there had been no deadline.

County Clerk Souza said that she had not seen the bid.

Hamilton asked if the ad had run in the Linn County News.

Walton said he thought it did.

Hamilton said she was OK waiting until next week so the other company could put a bid in.

Johnson said that before making any decisions, the commissioners needed to make sure what the ad in the paper said.

Hamilton agreed and said they needed to make sure it ran in the paper.