Trumbull County tables courthouse door replacement after vendor deposit dispute

The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted unanimously to table action on a $10,325 contract to replace an inmate entrance/exit door at the courthouse after questions surfaced about a vendor-required $4,000 upfront deposit and whether that term conflicted with county purchasing policy.

Commissioners first moved to consider a recommendation to accept the "best submitted proposal" from Warren Doar for the door replacement. During discussion, the board and county staff said one bidder, GDK Door, included a $4,000 upfront payment in its quote while the lower-price quote from Warren Doar did not. That prompted commissioners to ask legal and facilities staff for clarification on whether the deposit would disqualify a bid.

Bill Danzo of the Trumbull County prosecutor's office said, "that's always been my understanding as our county policy too is that we don't prepay for materials on a project like this." Danzo added he had not researched whether the restriction stems from law or from county purchasing policy and said it would be reasonable for the board to seek clarification.

Daryl Dunnigan, facilities for Trumbull County, told commissioners the GDK proposal was for $7,400 with a 50% upfront payment and 50% after completion. "The total invoice or the total proposal was the 7,400 with 50% upfront and 50% after," Dunnigan said.

Commissioners expressed concern that accepting a quote with nonstandard payment terms could set a precedent. One commissioner noted the difference represented roughly a 30% price gap between bidders and asked whether the $4,000 deposit was included in the line-item total or added on top of it. The prosecutor advised the board it could safely ask the vendor to remove the upfront charge without disqualifying the quote: "If you take the $4,000 off, does the bid stay the same? Then we could award the contract to them," he said.

After discussion, Commissioner Bernard made a motion to table the item; a second was recorded and the board voted: Commissioner Bernard — yes; Commissioner Malloy — yes; Commissioner Richard Hernandez — yes. The motion to table passed.

The board instructed staff to contact the vendors for clarification and to report back. Commissioners said they preferred to resolve the payment-term question and ensure the process is fair to all bidders before awarding the contract.

Notes in the record state the county may be able to save money if a vendor will remove the upfront payment requirement, but the board emphasized adherence to the county's purchasing policy and equitable treatment of bidders.

The item will return to a future meeting after staff follow-up with the vendors and legal review of the payment-term issue.