Time to Bid “Adieu” to No-Bid Contracts
The time has come to abandon the practice of no-bid sole sourcing, and to impose a stricter policy of competitive procurement.
The agenda for the December 7, 2009 council meeting details a proposed resolution to approve a no-bid contract award of $65,000 to Corradino Group, Inc. for inspection services. This same vendor has already won other no-bid contracts from Palmetto Bay worth thousands of dollars.
Eye on Palmetto Bay (EPB) is currently researching the total number of no-bid contracts and their dollar value.
Palmetto Bay Council - stop no-bid contracts. Only a competitive procurement policy gives everyone an opportunity to bid and make it a fair and honest process.
While legal under the Village’s purchasing policy, the practice of awarding contracts without a competitive bidding process – called sole sourcing – should be shunned as a potential waste of tax dollars.
Village officials might argue and say the practice allows the village to hire consultants more experienced in the community’s affairs who can more quickly complete the work than a new firm could.
This position overlooks the fact that only a competitive procurement policy gives everyone an opportunity to bid to make it a fair and honest process.
Without competition, there is no real incentive for a contractor to make their process more efficient, nor is there a benchmark for the value of the tax dollars spent.
Loading ...
No bid contracts should be awarded only in an emergency where safety and time is of the essence. I can’t see any circumstance in a local municipality where such circumstance can arise. The conclusion therefore is that “no bid” contracts are offered to “favorite sons” or there may be “soft Dollars” embedded into the contract. The “no bid” provision in Palmetto Bay’s policy should be strictly followed and not selectively exempted. “No bid” contracts also reflect a budget policy where the pockets are sufficiently deep to afford it.