School board reopens electrical services contract, adds Sharkey as alternate

The School Board voted Tuesday to reopen consideration of an electrical services contract awarded two meetings earlier and to add Sharkey Electric as an additional alternate for maintenance work. Board members debated whether administration could lawfully reopen an already signed contract and clarified that the motion would not, by itself, change the award to Marks Electric, which remains the primary contractor. The board amended a motion to add Sharkey Electric as a second alternate and directed administration to enter appropriate contracts to reflect that change. Board members said the reconsideration stemmed from concerns about the RFQ scoring process and that one local firm had been effectively excluded. The discussion distinguished maintenance work from larger capital projects: maintenance calls would be handled under the maintenance contract at hourly rates, while larger jobs would go out for competitive bids. The board and administration described an operational order for calls: Marks Electric is the primary; if Marks is unavailable, the first alternate is Randy DePaulo; Sharkey Electric was added to alternate with DePaulo for jobs Marks cannot take. Board members noted DePaulo’s hourly rates are lower while equipment rental fees are higher, a detail administration will use when deciding which alternate to call for a specific job. Board members also clarified they do not plan to disturb work already underway with Marks Electric. They said any change to an executed contract would require additional legal review. Action on the amended motion carried.