Tom Sullivan, a Public Works staff member, told the Edmonds City Council committee on July 15 that staff recommends awarding three new job-order contracts after the city’s May request for proposals produced four responsive bids in June. The contracts would run two years with a one-year option and replace the first set of contractors used under the program that began after a 2022 purchasing-policy amendment allowing job-order contracting.

The committee’s discussion focused on transparency about the awardees, compliance with state apprenticeship requirements and whether federal disaster funds such as FEMA could affect projects carried out under the program. Committee members agreed to forward the item to the full council on the consent agenda once the packet includes the contractors’ names and the bid documentation.

Sullivan said staff’s selection committee has vetted proposals and is ready to award three contracts. He told the committee he will circulate a form award letter for each contractor plus a general “intent to award” letter listing the three names and will ensure those documents are included in the packet before the item goes to the full council. Council members asked that the packet also include bid backup, engineer’s estimates and attachments that show how the firms were evaluated.

On apprenticeship requirements, Sullivan said the job-order contracting program incorporates the city’s purchasing policy requirements, including apprenticeship utilization when projects meet the statutory threshold. He said most of the projects he manages are below that threshold, so apprenticeships are not commonly triggered; when the threshold is met, the apprenticeship enrollment and OMWBE standards in the purchasing policy will apply.

On federal funding, a committee member asked whether a recent FEMA $100,000 spending-limit change would affect projects. Sullivan said the city currently has no projects using FEMA funds under the program; the job-order contracting framework can be used by other departments and would require coordination with the city’s engineers and Gordian, the city’s contract-administration vendor, if federal emergency funds applied.

The committee requested that Sullivan include the contractors’ names and the bid backup in the packet before the consent agenda and confirmed that any councilmember may pull the item from consent for more review. The committee’s agreement to forward the item was recorded as a consensus to place the renewal on the consent agenda pending the supplemental packet materials.