The Budget & Finance Committee approved a sealed bid award to Staples Contract and Commercial LLC for general office furniture in FY2025 with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $1,212,906.67. Purchasing presented the sealed‑bid results and said Staples offered the highest discount percentage in the evaluated pool.

Several commissioners, led by Commissioner Thornton, raised concerns that a large commodity award favors national vendors and limits opportunities for local small businesses and minority‑owned firms (MWBEs). Commissioner Thornton asked whether the county could split future commodity purchases into smaller scopes and whether the EOC (Office of Equity & Compliance) could create goals to encourage prime/subcontractor arrangements that increase local participation.

James Gloucester (Purchasing) and EOC Administrator Shep Wilburn responded that commodities pose challenges for goal setting because bulk pricing differs from smaller orders. Wilburn said the county will look for opportunities to re‑structure commodity purchases where practical and that prior attempts to pair a minority vendor with Staples had broken down before the sealed bid was finalized. Purchasing cautioned that canceling or re‑soliciting the bid at this stage could delay county needs and lead to higher costs.

The committee approved the award with an 8–2 vote (Sugarman and Thornton voted no) but asked the EOC and Purchasing to examine scope/bundling options and to pursue arrangements that could increase MWBE participation on future commodity buys.

Why it matters: County commodity contracts worth more than $1 million can be lucrative for local suppliers and a potential avenue to support MWBEs. Commissioners pressed staff for process improvements to increase local participation while acknowledging the county’s need for timely, cost‑effective procurement.