Crockett officials approved the purchase and installation of a more than 200-kilowatt Cummins backup generator for the city’s vocational technology facility after economic development and city council votes during a joint meeting Nov. 18.

City staff told the boards the project drew only one sealed bid, from a regional generator contractor, and that the total equipment-and-installation price is $181,322. City staff said the bid package called for a 200+ kW Cummins generator and associated transfer switches and electrical work for the whole building.

The staff presentation said the request was advertised twice in the newspaper as required and that the city reached out directly to five area firms; only one firm submitted a sealed bid. The presenter said the price is consistent with previous generator purchases the city has made under similar circumstances.

Staff also raised lead-time concerns. “Several of [the firms] that we spoke to said there’s a lead time of a year or so, 6 months to a year,” a staff member said, noting that the facility’s contractor wants to start work next month and that some program contracts require 24/7 backup power. City staff said they have located two or three candidate units and that vendors are prepared to proceed once the city authorizes the purchase.

Council members asked about the existing generator at the site. Staff said the currently installed unit is a 25 kW machine and is not large enough to serve the building; removal and sale of that unit would be handled through a separate sealed-bid process. The city confirmed the current installation includes the generator, a single transfer switch and conduit run to the main electrical panel; removal and resale of the existing unit were not part of the awarded bid.

The economic development body moved and seconded the contract award; the motion was approved on an affirmative voice vote. Council later took the same motion and approved the purchase during its portion of the meeting.

The city did not provide a formal vote tally in the meeting minutes. Staff said the contractor named in the bid has previously worked on similar projects in the region and that engineering specifications were prepared before bids were solicited.

City staff said they will post the existing generator for sale by sealed bid and will finalize timelines based on vendor delivery schedules.