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Resident questions bid increases and vendor selection for county contracts, commissioners say community development authorizes change orders
Summary
A visitor at the Sept. 11 meeting asked why one contract extension rose from about $93,000 to $105,000 and whether playground equipment purchases were being procured via CoStar; county staff said changes must be approved by Community Development and that many playground projects use CoStar vendors with installation included.
A visitor questioned Beaver County commissioners on Sept. 11 about several bid items on the meeting agenda, including a contract extension that has increased twice and playground equipment procured through CoStar vendors.
The visitor asked whether “Lending Solutions” listed on the bid was now doing cleaning or whether that was a mistake, and asked for clarification on another item listed as number 6: “The original bid by these people that want it was $93,000 a 180. They now increased it twice, so we're up to a $105,000, which is now higher than any of the other bids. Were these change orders we did? Or do they keep like, what controls do we have on this?”
A county staff member replied, “Yeah. It would have to be approved by community development... I don't know the specific details of what this change order is, but at the end of the day, it's community development's...” The chair confirmed that change orders cannot be unilaterally imposed by vendors and that price changes require the county’s authorization through the appropriate department.
The visitor also asked about item 9, a playground equipment purchase: “Is this a CoStar vendor?” A staff member said many playground projects use CoStar vendors and that the listed contract typically covers purchase and installation. The chair added that the county would review the actual contract to confirm cost and installation details.
No formal action or vote on these procurement questions was recorded in the meeting; the discussion occurred during visitor comments on agenda items and the board moved on to routine approvals afterward.
