Local landscaper urges council to weigh local commitment after losing city contract
Summary
Green Teams, a Bryan family-owned landscaping company, told the council it was disappointed not to be selected for a major city landscaping contract and asked the council to add verifiable local-commitment criteria to future procurement evaluations; council members said contract language allows termination if contractors fail to perform.
Tucker Gallagher, chief operating officer and minority owner of Green Teams, told the council his family business, founded in Bryan in 1975, had served the city for nearly 25 years and was “disappointed when not selected to continue to provide these services for the majority of city sites.” Gallagher urged the council to reconsider procurement scoring to account for verifiable local commitment, local capacity and proven local performance rather than weighting regional or national attributes. He said Green Teams was concerned about the impact on long-term employees who depend on the contract. Council members acknowledged the comment and said staff and the council reviewed the concerns. During statutory discussion Mayor Bobby Gutierrez (on the record at the meeting) said the city’s contract terms provide for termination if a contractor fails to fulfill its duties and that performance is reviewed on a 30-day basis; he told the Gallagher family the city expects longstanding local partners to continue serving the community and that staff would monitor contract performance. The meeting record shows no formal complaint or protest was filed during the hearing and no contract award was voted on during this council session; Green Teams’ remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the agenda.
