The Edinburg CISD Facilities Committee on July 24 reviewed three bids for roofing improvements at Bill Garza Middle School and the transportation shop and approved forwarding the committee’s rankings to the full board for final action.
The ranking matters because the top-ranked bidder was roughly $200,000 lower than competitors but committee members raised concerns about vendor experience and bid transparency and asked administration to supply references, certifications and litigation checks before the board approves the contract.
Raymond Villalobos (district facilities) told the committee three vendors submitted bids and explained the evaluation and reference checks. Villalobos and staff said the top-ranked firm, Air Cool Tech (presented as the number-one ranking on the tally), documented prior roofing work on other public projects and that references contacted by the district confirmed satisfactory performance, including work on PSJA ISD under ESSER. Villalobos said the vendor told staff it uses an in-house roofing sub to maintain quality control and that its staff are certified for the spray-foam roofing system specified by the architect.
Several committee members pressed for additional documentation because the company primarily advertises HVAC services rather than roofing; one trustee said she could not support the number-one ranking without seeing more detailed proof of roofing licensure, references and litigation status. A question was also raised about electronic-bid procedures and a previous technical glitch that delayed opening of bids on a different project; staff said they would review and provide documentation.
The committee voted to send the recommendation and ranking to the full board for approval at Tuesday’s board meeting; chair carried the motion by voice vote with “motion carries.” Committee members and administration discussed adding more robust vendor-check documentation (references, affidavit/certification of no pending contractor litigation, copies of relevant roofing certifications) to the board packet before Tuesday.
No contract award was made at the facilities meeting; the matter will be considered by the full board on the next agenda.