The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors awarded a contract to Lieber Construction for the demolition project of the former jail in its meeting Tuesday. Bids for the project were opened and received on Tuesday.
The county received seventeen bids, of which three were thrown out due to incomplete bid bonds or bid forms. Terry Glade of CMBA Architects said the incomplete forms did not include a bid bond amount or percentage to add to any change orders.
Lieber Construction of North Sioux City had the lowest responsive bid at $518,418.18 after the Spirtas Wrecking bid was thrown out. The project was previously estimated to cost $1.1 million.
Kenny Schmitz, building services director of Woodbury County, said Lieber’s bid is the lowest, and it does not include any additional cost for fill material. Fill material costs will be added to the bid cost if the soil needs to be replaced.
Schmitz mentioned the additional cost would have been associated with all the contractors, but Lieber’s included a per-unit bid of $30 per cubic yard for additional fill material.
Supervisor Mark Nelson asked if there was a clear indication in the bidding documents that the incomplete form would result in not being considered.
“Yes, that’s the way our notice to bidders typically reads,” responded Glade.
Demolition of the former county jail is expected to be completed by March 2026.
