Bensalem board approves amendments to responsible contractor resolution after debate over scope and timing

The Bensalem Township School District Board of School Directors on Tuesday approved amendments to the district's Responsible Contractor Resolution (RCO) after discussion about the measure's strength, timing and relationship to possible project labor agreements for an upcoming middle‑school decision.

The vote, taken by voice, carried after multiple board members and the district solicitor discussed how the amendments would apply to capital projects valued at $250,000 or more and would extend certain standards to off‑site fabrication work used on district projects.

Board members said they supported stronger standards for craftsmanship and training but differed on whether the change should have waited for a project‑specific project labor agreement (PLA). The district solicitor said the amended RCO would not prevent the board from negotiating a PLA for a future, specific construction project.

"In addition to the RCO, which will still be in place for any number of projects this district will do going into the future, you can also, at that time, look into doing a PLA specifically for the middle school project," the district solicitor said during the discussion. He added that the proposed changes respond to prevailing industry practices, notably that "more and more now... that work is being done off‑site and then brought to the work site," and that the amendments require the district to account for the qualifications of workers who perform that off‑site fabrication.

Some board members questioned the timing of the vote and said they first learned of the proposed changes only days earlier, while others said delaying amendments would risk leaving standards undefined if the district proceeds quickly on solicitation or design steps for the middle‑school options.

The board president framed the vote as a readiness item, saying the district should have standards in place before the board takes a final construction decision. The motion passed by voice vote; individual tallies were not recorded on the public record.

The amendment keeps the district's existing RCO floor of $250,000 for applicability but adds language intended to strengthen qualification and wage/fringe expectations and to extend those standards to off‑site fabrication that contributes to district projects.

Board members and staff said the RCO has existed in some form since 2009 and that the current text was updated to reflect post‑COVID changes in construction practices. The solicitor recommended that a PLA remain an option for any single large project if the board later chooses to pursue one.

The board indicated it intends to proceed with a separate agenda item in September related to the middle‑school decision.

Notes: The motion to adopt the amendments was made and seconded on the record; the vote was taken by voice and recorded as "motion carries." No roll‑call tally was provided in the transcript.