Pulaski County Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston told the commissioners last week that the opened sealed bids for the HVAC systems for the justice center were investigated to determine the reason for a large gap in pricing. Benchmark in Kokomo and McGrath Refrigeration in Knox both submitted sealed bids.
“I looked at this pretty in-depth and I can’t find a reason for it,” said Johnston. “It seems to me that McGrath’s is the way to go. Their units are comparable. It’s also practically half the cost. It would be my recommendation to go with $74,467 for the HVAC units as opposed to $135,000.”
The bid specs were correct. The commissioners approved the bid submitted by McGrath Refrigeration for the HVAC systems.
Johnston said he got quotes on the water softeners and will be approaching the county council with a recommendation. The commissioners gave Johnston permission to move forward with purchasing water softeners from Kinetico at a price of $22,440. The cost includes the equipment, installation and removal.
He added that the cost for the HVAC units and the water softeners will be half of the cost that what was originally thought. The equipment will paid out of the sheriff’s CAGIT fund.
Johnston also gave the commissioners an update on the installation of the generator for the health department. Johnston told WKVI News on Monday that the cement slab has been poured. Smalls Maintenance and Electrical in Logansport will be completing the electrical component at a cost of $1,700.
