Low bid not accepted for SCH project

By Rod Haxton, editor

The construction management firm submitting the lowest bid wasn’t the company of choice for either the Scott County Hospital or Park Lane Nursing Home projects.

When meeting with county commissioners, SCH Administrator Mark Burnett said that his board had agreed to award management of the $24 million project to Nabholz Construction, Lenexa, at a bid of $1,280,095. This compared to the low bid of $1,263,515 from Key Construction, Wichita.

Four companies submitted bids for the project with a range of $121,265 between the low and high bids.

Going into the process,  Burnett said Nabholz would have been considered a “dark horse” to be awarded the project. But the company made a strong impression, earning a unanimous vote from all nine members of the hospital board of directors.

“Even though Key (Construction) has had a large presence in Scott City, and has done large projects, they haven’t done a hospital,” noted Burnett. “The board felt this was important. The overall feeling was that hiring someone inexperienced in hospital construction was a risk we weren’t willing to take.”

Burnett said architects have been in Scott City to interview hospital staff and are in the process of drafting concept drawings. Land surveys are being conducted on the proposed construction site and the hospital board is awaiting the findings, though Burnett doesn’t anticipate any problems.

“Once we get a clean bill of health, we expect to purchase the land later this month,” Burnett said.

Considerable time will be spent over the next several weeks developing a hospital plan that Burnett describes as “well-designed, well thought out and durable.” He said it may be late February or early March before Nabholz is able to provide a “guaranteed maximum cost” for the project.

User Comments

• SCH

  "Wrong! Key Construction has built a hospital. Who came to our local "town hall meetings" and help convinced the voters to build this hospital? It sure was not anyone from Nabholz, it was Key, someone who had ties to Scott City, who had a previous proven track record for doing a good job for Scott city on the Law Enforcement. The difference in the $, amortize that for the life of the loan! Sad that the board of SCH can be such a pushover and not do thier homework.I have always been proud of Scott City, but continue to be disappointed about the decisions they continue to make. "

  Posted by Terri Fouquet on Feb. 3, 2010