The Richland County Public Works Committee postponed a decision on replacing the courthouse air‑conditioning system after staff reported two bids with markedly different designs and prices.

Facilities staff said the county received two responsive proposals to an RFP: ThermoDynamics at $172,500 and Precision Controls at $285,600. Committee members, HVAC representatives and a remote vendor contact discussed the systems’ layouts (packaged chillers with integral pumps vs. a multistack design feeding a stainless‑steel plate heat exchanger), redundancy needs for inmate housing, warranty terms (one year parts and labor; five years on compressors), and excluded electrical work and concrete pads. Speaker 11, representing one vendor, described a 60‑ton multistack system; staff noted the current system is about 50 tons.

Several supervisors said the $100,000 price gap merited vendor presentations and clearer apples‑to‑apples comparisons before awarding a contract. The chair moved to postpone the procurement decision to a special meeting on Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. so both bidders can attend and answer technical questions; members agreed.

The committee directed staff to add the full bid packages to the meeting packet online and to secure ThermoDynamics and Precision Controls for the Dec. 4 session. Procurement will proceed following vendor presentations and any clarifying information required by the county’s purchasing rules.