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Board holds work session on proposed local-preference purchasing policy; legal questions and administrative concerns raised
Summary
Supervisors held an extended work session on a proposed local-preference policy that would allow county departments to favor in-county businesses when bids are within defined margins; county counsel explained legal context and supervisors and staff debated thresholds, subcontractor treatment, publication and administrative cost.
The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors held a work session July 29 to review a proposed purchasing policy that would permit county departments to give preference to businesses based in Black Hawk County when bidding results are “relatively equal.”
Supervisor Hall introduced the proposal and said it was prompted by past procurements in which an out-of-area bidder won by a narrow margin. He described proposed thresholds that would allow a local business to prevail when its price is within 5 percent of the lowest qualifying bid for projects under $500,000 and within 3 percent for projects $500,000 and over, with a maximum local-preference supplement of $30,000.
Nut graf: The discussion addressed competing priorities — supporting the local economy and preserving competition and value for taxpayers — and examined legal constraints from…
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