The example
The South Dakota Bid Network page reports bid results on “Flat One-Way Cutting Edges for Snow Removal Equipment” for the City of Sioux Falls Public Works Department. Bids were opened on 16 July 2026, and the contract is for purchase of flat one-way cutting edges for snow removal equipment. The page names Titan Machinery, Inc as the apparent low bidder with a low bid of $53,677.50, and lists additional bidders: DMC Wear Parts at $61,704.00, Equipment Blades, Inc. at $62,400.00 and Valk Manufacturing at $67,500.00.
Simple arithmetic on the spread
| Bidder | Bid | Above the low bid |
|---|---|---|
| Titan Machinery, Inc (apparent low) | $53,677.50 | base |
| DMC Wear Parts | $61,704.00 | about 15% |
| Equipment Blades, Inc. | $62,400.00 | about 16% |
| Valk Manufacturing | $67,500.00 | about 26% |
The highest bid is roughly a quarter above the lowest, and the middle two are within about 1 percentage point of each other. That is an observation about these four totals only; it does not show that any bidder over- or under-priced.
What the totals cannot tell you
A total hides the line detail, and the line detail is the decision.
- The quantities and the unit prices behind each total.
- Whether the bids were for the same product, grade, insert type and bolt pattern.
- Delivery terms, warranty and local preference conditions.
- Whether the apparent low bid was awarded. “Apparent low bidder” means the lowest at opening; the final award may differ after review.
How to read any tabulation
A tabulation is a record of offers, not a ranking of products. Read it in this order.
- Get the original tabulation and the solicitation from the agency. The summary sheet usually drops the line detail you need.
- Compare unit prices for each line, not only the total. A cheap total can come from a different specification.
- Check the specification each bidder offered. A low line price on a thinner edge is not a comparable bid.
- Look at the award notice or the minutes for the final decision. The lowest bid is not always the awarded one.
- Record the date. Prices move, and an old tabulation is a poor benchmark.
Limits
Aggregator pages may be incomplete. Use the agency’s records for any decision.
Boundary: Figures come from an aggregator summary, not the city’s tabulation, and the apparent low bidder may not have received the award; check the agency’s records before use.
Sources and further reading. External references are dated; where a figure is quoted, the link shows where it came from.
South Dakota Bid Network (aggregator of public bid results): Bid Results on Flat One Way Cutting Edges For Snow Removal Equipment (Sioux Falls Public Works) (bids opened 2026-07-16; read 2026-10-24) ↗Motor Grader Blade Cutting Edges: Selection, Wear and Replacement ↗JOMA Articulating Blades and Cutting Edges: How the Mechanism Changes Wear ↗Carbide snow plow blades ↗Lane-Guidance Tech on Plows: Could Precision Reduce Edge Strikes? ↗311 Complaint Logs as an Early Warning for Edge Problems ↗Snow Emergency Plans and Depot Readiness: Why Edge Stock Belongs in the Plan ↗
