Pitt County commissioners reject bids, direct manager to renew security contracts with incumbents

Pitt County commissioners voted June 2 to reject competitive bids for security services and authorized the county manager to renew contracts with the three incumbent vendors that currently cover the courthouse, the county administration building (including the farmers market and planning office) and social services.

The decision came after a public comment urging the board to prioritize quality over the lowest price and a period of commissioner questions about cost differences between bidders.

County Manager (unnamed in transcript) had recommended selecting Allied Universal for courthouse and administrative-building coverage and retaining ENC Protection Group for social services, citing bid tabulations in the meeting packet. The manager told commissioners Allied Universal was the lowest bid for courthouse and administrative functions and recommended contract amounts not to exceed $250,000 for Allied Universal and $200,000 for ENC Protection Group for social services.

In public comment, Gary Pastor, owner of Private Eyes Inc. and affiliated with NC Protection Group, urged the board not to “just go with the lowest bidder” and told commissioners, “You should have top notch security. That is what we provide.” Pastor said his company has provided security at county facilities over the past year and asked the board to weigh safety and local experience when deciding.

Commissioners pressed staff on comparative costs for routine meeting coverage at the administration building. The county packet and staff remarks showed a roughly $3,000 annual difference for contracted coverage of 26 three-hour meetings: about $7,800 for NC Protection Group versus $4,322.76 for Allied Universal for that line item. Commissioners also heard that differences in overall annual totals reflect larger differences in courthouse staffing hours and personnel requirements.

Several commissioners said they were satisfied with services from the incumbents and wanted to avoid appearing biased; one commissioner moved to reject the bids and authorize the manager to renew with all three current vendors. A second was made; the motion carried on a voice vote. The meeting record does not show a roll-call vote tally for each commissioner.

Discussion only: Commissioners and staff discussed bid comparisons, vendor service footprints (courthouse, administration, social services), and whether the county remains bound to the lowest bidder under the RFP. Staff told the board they are not bound to accept the lowest bid and that the RFP allowed weighing experience and service considerations.

Decision/direction: The board approved (motion carried) rejecting the competitive bids and authorized the county manager to enter into renewal contracts with the three incumbent providers for the respective facilities; explicit contract amounts in staff materials recommended up to $250,000 for Allied Universal (courthouse/admin) and up to $200,000 for ENC Protection Group (social services). The board did not adopt a single new bid contract that evening.

Background: Staff said 17 firms submitted proposals. The county's current contracts for all three security services expire June 30. Commissioners were told the courthouse incumbent is Allied Universal, the administration-building incumbent is NC Protection Group (a local firm), and social services is served by ENC Protection Group, which is based in Kinston. Staff said the sheriff's department is not providing in-house coverage and does not have off-duty deputies available for meeting coverage at this time.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with contract renewals as authorized by the board and bring related contract documents back as required by procurement policy.