NORRISTOWN — More than $13 million in contracts were authorized during Thursday’s Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting.
A big-ticket item included a $8,349,707 contract to construct an archives building on the grounds of the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s emergency operations center in Eagleville.
A request for proposals was advertised online. The project netted views from 139 firms and bids from 21 providers, according to the contract.
Citing the “lowest responsible bidders,” county officials endorsed the following companies:
- A $6,495,000 contract with Magnum Inc. of Warminster, for general construction services.
- A $746,757 contract with HighTec HVAC, of Southampton, Bucks County, for mechanical construction services.
- A $672,000 contract with Philips Brothers Electrical of Glenmoore, Chester County, for electrical construction services.
- A $256,000 contract with JBM Mechanical Inc., of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, for plumbing construction services.
- A $179,950 contract with Oliver Fire Protection & Security, of King of Prussia, for fire protection construction services.
Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale voiced his opposition to the seven-figure contract, citing cost.
“This is general construction services, but once we do the interior fit-out, and add shelving, and everything else, the cost will go even higher, and due to the fact that the property owners … are paying higher taxes I can’t justify the expense,” he said during the meeting.
The contract was approved in a 2-1 roll call vote. Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh and Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr., both Democrats, voted in favor while Gale was the sole dissenter.
The remaining 12 contracts were unanimously approved. Of note, contract items included approximately a $2,170,803 agreement with CDW Government, of Chicago, for enterprise licensing services, according to Deputy Chief Operating Officer Barbara O’Malley.
“The Information Services [and] Technology Department has an existing Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, which allows the county to utilize Microsoft products, the contract states, and the department “requires continued use of Microsoft licensing.”
The contract, which was procured via a Sourcewell cooperative contract, would last from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31, 2022, according to the contract.
Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. Inc., of Pilesgrove, New Jersey, secured contracts to replace county-owned bridges.
The first was a roughly $1,385,630 agreement to replace a bridge on Stump Road, located over Little Neshaminy Creek in Montgomery Township. There were 69 companies that viewed an online request for proposals, but five firms submitted a bid for the job.
A nearly $747,240 agreement was arranged to fix the Lutheran Bridge Road, located over Minister Creek in New Hanover Township. A request for proposals was published online, which received 65 views and five bids from firms, according to the contract.
On both occasions, county officials recommended the New Jersey-based company as the “lowest responsible bidder.”
A $394,465 agreement with Integrated Security Systems Inc., of Harleysville, covered the cost to replace “the current CLASS security notification system with an Alertus Security System for the thirty district court offices located throughout Montgomery County.” A contract from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s cooperative purchasing program provided for “equipment and installation services.”
A roughly $334,722 agreement with Dell Inc., of Round Rock, Texas, supplied computer hardware for the offsite 911 backup center as part of the county’s 911 computer-aided dispatch system. The document stipulated that a PA COSTARS contract provided the materials.
With less than two weeks until the 2021 general election, Montgomery County Board of Elections Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. reminded voters that the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is at 5 p.m. on Oct. 26. The next Montgomery County Board of Elections meeting is scheduled for noon on Oct. 28 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, located at 425 Swede St. in Norristown. Those interested in watching the meeting can also do so virtually.
For more information about the 2021 general election, visit the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services’ website at montcopa.org/voterservices.
The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Nov. 4 with virtual and in-person attendance options. For more information, visit montcopa.org.
