OC saving Money on New Case Excavator

Oconee County is saving over $150,000 on a new case excavator for the rock quarry. At their meeting Tuesday night, the Oconee County Council unanimously approved $588,400.02 to purchase this new piece of equipment to be used in the pit to feed the mobile jaw crusher, load haul trucks, and in all phases of overburden stripping. Oconee County Councilman Julian Davis thanked staff for saving the county money on this purchase of new equipment. “I’d like to thank the staff for getting a good deal. I thought the process of the way that you did it is good budgeting with $750,219 budgeted and coming in under that saved $161,818.98. So, I thought that was very good for the citizens and I appreciate your work on that.” Oconee County Interim Administrator Richard Martin explained to the council how the county was able to save money on the purchase. “It is a program that I don’t think we have ever used before, it’s a program in North Carolina through their Sheriff’s Association and that is how we got 6%.” After researching excavators with a minimum operating weight of 150,000 pounds, the county staff determined that the CASE CX750D RTC with a 72” Euro Style severe duty bucket, best met the needs of the quarry. There were no excavators of this size on State Contract, so the county is utilizing the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association contract through a cooperative purchasing agreement. The contract discount is 6% off the list price of the equipment. Hills Machinery is offering a “dealer discretionary discount” of an additional $245,878.82 off the contract price for the excavator and the 72” bucket. So, the staff recommended that council approve the purchase of the Case Excavator from Hills Machinery Company of Columbia, SC, in the amount of $588,400.02. The new case excavator for the rock quarry will be making its way to Oconee County in the coming days.