Item 10A on the regular agenda of the July 30, 2013 city council meeting is another purchasing item with problems.
The city went out for bids for building supplies (light bulbs and the like). The deal is for about $180,000 per year for three years.
Seventeen firms were notified. Six firms submitted bids.
City staff wants to disqualify two of the bids as non-responsive. The agenda item proposes to give the business to the “lowest responsive” bid.
One national firm with a significant local presence is being disqualified because it “took exceptions to the contract clauses”. This may be the right thing to do. What is troubling here is that the bid analysis in the backup does not show what the firm’s bid amounts were. Were they lower than the firm getting the business? Did the city’s contract clauses serve to unnecessarily drive up the price of the items? Is the national firm being unreasonable?
Another large local firm is being disqualified because “price list submitted did not match to City’s Cost offered by bidder”, whatever that means.
City could be right
The city could be right here. What is troubling is that their explanation to council gives us no indication that this is the case. What are the real reasons for the disqualifications?
The city needs to be more business friendly without rolling over.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Do you have a link to the bid tab?
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Bid tabulation http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/07-30-13/07301310A.pdf
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