Board cancels custodial bids, orders rebid with evaluation matrix under Idaho code

The Teton School District Board of Trustees canceled the current custodial-service procurement and directed staff to rebid with a more detailed evaluation matrix outlining the qualifications and scoring criteria to be used to select a vendor.

Board and staff members said two bids were received in the prior solicitation — one from the incumbent (referred to in the meeting as “Mr. Moose”) and another from a vendor in McCall — but the finance committee and facilities staff recommended returning the bids for further specification. Facilities staff checked qualifications and raised concerns that the bid materials did not clearly spell out evaluation criteria for services.

District legal counsel advised the board that Idaho procurement statute provides for specifying qualifications and an evaluation matrix in an RFP. Specific citations were discussed during the meeting (committee members mentioned “Idaho code 67-Dash-28068” and later cited “67-2806(a)” in motions). The board directed staff to use the statutory authority to require firms to submit qualifications and for the district to rank proposals based on factors beyond cost, such as vendor experience, financial stability, ability to meet contract requirements, product/service quality and maintenance commitments.

Board members moved and approved a cancellation of the current custodial bids and a motion directing staff to develop a renewed bid package with a scoring matrix in accordance with the cited Idaho code. The finance committee offered to assist in developing standard templates and matrices for future service contracts.

Staff will prepare a revised RFP that includes the evaluation matrix, publish the rebid, and return to the board with recommendations after the evaluation.