Resident questions county 'piggyback' electrical services contract; staff explain on‑call pricing

A member of the public asked the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners on April 8 to explain a consent‑agenda item described as a piggyback of a University of Florida contract for electrical services, saying the agenda language was unclear about whether the item covered single projects or an on‑call service pool and whether the $1 million figure represented a per‑call charge or a total contract cap.

"I see what you're trying to do by piggybacking off the UF contract," resident Anthony Johnson told the board, saying the UF contract language he read described single projects while the county item appeared to cover on‑call billing. Johnson asked the county to clarify what the public would be paying for and how the amounts were calculated.

Procurement staff explained that the piggyback approach allows the county to use UF’s pricing without a separate competitive bid when the UF contract terms apply. Assistant County staff said on‑call contracts differ from project contracts: "On‑call services are just that. If we need somebody, we're able to call one of the contractors that is under this contract," the staff member said, adding that the $1 million figure represents an authorized not‑to‑exceed amount for on‑call services rather than a per‑call fee.

Staff also said when the county needs a discrete capital project it will still bid projects or use purchase orders and task orders; piggyback pricing is intended for responsive, time‑sensitive service calls. Commissioners asked staff to provide additional specifics about the contract terms and limits when the item was pulled from consent for discussion.

The board did not take a vote on the underlying contract during the meeting; the item remained a consent pull for explanation and potential future action.