Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly told lowest-responsible bid for borough electrical services was nonlocal; staff notes response and contract controls
Summary
Staff said No Deck Electric & Construction was the lowest responsible bidder for the borough’s annual electrical services contract after a re-bid. Acting engineering/facilities staff described response-time and emergency provisions, and assembly members raised concerns about local preference and contracting rules.
The borough’s engineering and facilities staff told the assembly they received two bids for the FY26 electrical services term contract and determined No Deck Electric & Construction was the lowest responsible bidder.
Acting engineering/facilities director (acting) Cody said the prior contractor declined another contract extension because of a projected 30% increase in labor costs, prompting a re-bid. He said the winning bidder indicated a local presence and promised a 24‑hour emergency contact and that maintenance work must begin no later than the second day after notice; non-emergency corrective work must be responded to within three business days.
Cody told the assembly that the contract contains no per‑diem or travel-time charges and includes termination provisions should the contractor fail to meet response or performance requirements.
Several assembly members said they were uncomfortable awarding a term contract to a nonlocal firm and asked about the borough’s local preference and any brick‑and‑mortar requirements. Cody said the borough’s procurement code contains a local-preference mechanism but does not currently require a local office for services contracts; he said staff will propose code revisions to clarify local-bidder requirements for future term contracts. He also said staff routinely requires mandatory pre-bid or readiness checks and that the contract includes explicit response-time and emergency provisions.
An assembly member identified a conflict and recused himself from the discussion because he works for the other bidder.
Staff said the contract contains enforceable response-time standards, a requirement for a 24‑hour emergency phone contact and termination clauses; if a contractor fails performance standards the borough may terminate and re-bid the work. Staff said they will return with suggested procurement-code changes to better capture local service expectations for future term contracts.
