FT. SMITH, AR – Sebastian County Associate County Administrator Cindy Hulsey opened bids for 13 new vehicles, according to the Ft. Smith Times Record newspaper. Hulsey said ordinarily the county doesn’t bid in batches, but area automobile dealers told her the county would be eligible for deeper discounts if it did its vehicle bidding in a big block.

Bids received included bids for two pickups — one regular and one extended cab — for the Assessor’s Office; a half-ton, short/wide bed pickup or a full-sized SUV for the County Road Department; a half-ton, full-sized pickup for the Road Department; three three-fourths ton diesel pickups for the Road Department; four police pursuit sedans and two four-wheel-drive SUVs for the Sheriff’s Office.

The county will also open bids for a backhoe/loader for the Road Department. It will be the last of the expected vehicle purchases for 2007, according to the report.

Hulsey said the county Purchasing Department would make the bid choices after the Purchasing Department and the department for which the vehicle is being purchased review the bids.