The Claiborne County Board of Commissioners received one proposal in response to a request for proposals for a consultant forester and voted to take that proposal under advisement pending staff review.

At the Aug. 4 meeting, Mr. Ross told commissioners the county had advertised for a consultant forester and that the county had received one proposal, from Fred Stewart. "I have not opened it. We have 1 proposal. It came from Fred Stewart. I think what we should probably do is take it under advisement because I have not reviewed it," Ross said.

A motion to take the proposal under advisement was made and seconded, and commissioners voted in favor of taking the proposal under advisement, the transcript records.

Why it matters
The RFP process will determine whether the county engages an external consultant to provide forestry services; taking the single proposal under advisement allows staff time to review qualifications, scope and cost before the board considers award or further competitive solicitation.

Details and next steps
Ross said staff had not opened or evaluated the Fred Stewart proposal and recommended the board refrain from awarding or approving any contract until staff analysis is complete. Commissioners directed that the proposal be taken under advisement for later review and potential action. The transcript does not record further details about proposal contents, price, scoring criteria, or a timetable for staff review.