District staff recommend award for East High School chiller replacement; low bid under budget at $630,000

The Business Services Committee heard a recommendation July 28 to award a contract to replace the two chillers serving Dunaway and East High School. District presenters said the chillers are more than 25 years old and that the district had budgeted $1.3 million in capital expenditures for mechanical replacements this year.

Wold Architects prepared project drawings and oversaw bidding; the district received eight bids and identified Oakbrook Mechanical Services as the low responsive bidder. Presenters said the apparent low bid of $630,000 came in under the budgeted amount and that the vendor was vetted by Wold Architects and engineers.

Staff described the project as a priority because of the systems’ critical role and long lead times for such equipment; replacement now is intended to avoid emergency repairs and higher costs later. The committee did not record a final contract vote in the meeting minutes presented, and staff indicated the item would be processed through the usual procurement and board‑approval channels.

Attribution: the account is based on the facilities presentation and procurement discussion at the July 28 Business Services Committee meeting.