Finance committee reviews $156,487 restroom contract and questions single-bid coffee contract for Gracedale

The finance committee on July 9 reviewed two procurement items: a $156,487 six-month contract with H & K Group Inc. for restroom replacement and trail improvements, and a three-year coffee-and-tea contract with Interstate Gourmet Coffee Roasters Inc. for Gracedale Nursing Home and the Area Agency on Aging.

Committee members had no substantive questions about the H & K Group contract and moved it forward after confirming prior counsel review. The chair said the county executive—s office had submitted the request and that the administration and counsel had reviewed the contract.

Committee members raised questions about the Interstate Gourmet Coffee Roasters contract, which totaled $163,625.61 for three years with two optional one-year renewals. Several members noted only a single bid was returned and asked whether the county currently receives coffee and tea through a different institutional vendor (Sodexo) and whether the new contract would yield cost savings. County procurement staff said institutional buyers who can supply large volumes sometimes do not bid because of supply-chain uncertainty and import considerations, and that the county puts such items out to bid when it believes a better price may be secured than through existing institutional agreements.

Committee members asked staff to provide additional context about historical spend and projected savings before final approval. The committee moved both items forward for routine committee processing with direction to supply the requested comparative cost information on the coffee contract.