Tommy Alvey, owner of A&T Enterprises, told the St. Mary's County Board of County Commissioners at a March 5 public forum that county procurement guidance about a Delaware piggyback contract for automotive batteries is misleading.

Alvey said he was told in a written response that the county’s annual spend on automotive batteries is “approximately $5,000” and therefore falls within an exempt range for competitive procurement. The written reply said that department heads have discretion over how batteries are purchased and that piggybacking on the Delaware contract is an option rather than a requirement.

“I take serious exception to that statement,” Alvey said of a line in the procurement response that, he said, asserted county departments must buy their auto batteries from the Delaware contract. He told commissioners his experience at the procurement office “totally differs” from that statement and that he believes his prices are “extremely competitive.”

Alvey said he provided procurement with his business card and expects follow-up. No county official at the forum disputed his characterization; the commissioners did not take any formal action during the public-comment period.

The forum record does not include a named procurement official or a formal, live response from county procurement staff. Alvey requested that the procurement office follow up on his offer to supply batteries to county departments.