City rebid water department meter shop work after ProcureWare issue; low bidder TW Clark at about $4.3 million

City facilities staff told the Spokane City Council during the March 3 agenda review that a technical problem with the city’s ProcureWare system prevented some contractors from timely submitting bids for work at the Water Department main office and meter shop. For fairness, staff said the city canceled the initial procurement, rebid the work and received three to four additional bidders; overall prices dropped about 10 percent on the rebid.

Staff identified TW Clark as the low bidder on the rebid and said the contract amount is roughly $4,300,000 before contingency; a contingency was added on top of that figure. Staff said the procurement delay slowed the schedule by roughly five to six weeks, and that they expect contractors to be ready to start work in late March or early April once the contract is finalized.

Council considered a technical amendment to OPR 2025-0129 at the request of facilities staff to reflect updated contract information. Council member Dillon moved the amendment; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The agenda-review transcript records a voice vote with all present council members indicating “aye.” Five members were present and two were absent; the motion was approved without recorded opposition or abstentions.

Council members asked whether canceling and rebidding opened the city to liability; staff replied they did not expect liability and explained that purchasing staff review ProcureWare logs to determine whether failures were obvious technical issues or late submissions by contractors. Staff characterized the rebid outcome as providing a fairer procurement process and a better price for the city.

The procurement amendment will appear on the council’s final agenda for formal action consistent with council procedure.