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Marshfield council approves one-year extension with Forward Appraisal amid procurement questions
Summary
The council approved a one-year, $84,000 renewal with Forward Appraisal for property assessment services while several aldermen pressed for rebidding and clarified the contract covers annual maintenance work beyond periodic revaluations.
The Marshfield Common Council on June 24 approved a one-year extension of the city's property assessment services contract with Forward Appraisal at the same annual rate of $84,000. Council members questioned whether the work should have been put out for a request for proposals (RFP), given procurement thresholds and the multi-year relationship with the vendor.
City Administrator Steve Barr presented the renewal and said Forward Appraisal and Steve Chaparral’s team have provided services including annual maintenance, assistance with the board of review and property inspections. Barr recommended approving a one-year renewal at $84,000, the same price as the current year. During debate Alderman Tompkins and others asked whether the council should require an RFP; staff replied the city has bid the contract in the past and that prior proposals had been higher.
Council members discussed procurement practice, including a $25,000 threshold that has previously led the city to split purchases or go to RFP. Staff acknowledged the council could require an RFP and that the current one-year renewal has been treated as an exception to procurement policy in recent years. Several aldermen suggested building a multi-year procurement window into policy to reduce repeated annual bidding where appropriate.
The motion to proceed with the one-year renewal was approved after a roll call; Aldermen Wurman and Bridal registered “no” votes during the tally. The contract extension was presented as an annual maintenance agreement rather than a full revaluation contract; staff said a full revaluation had been performed recently and this contract covers ongoing annual services.
