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Committee approves forwarding reverse-auction procurement ordinance to council
Summary
The committee voted to recommend an ordinance that would add reverse-auctioning to the city’s procurement tools, allowing competitive downward bidding for bulk commodities (paper, chemicals, road salt) via the city’s OpenGov solicitation system.
The Governmental Operations Standing Committee voted to forward an ordinance to city council that adds a reverse-auction option to the city’s procurement code, authorizing procurement staff to use a Commonwealth-authorized tool to conduct reverse auctions for suitable commodities and bulk purchases.
Renee Almerz, director of the Department of Procurement Services, told the committee the tool is part of the city’s solicitation system, OpenGov, and described how reverse auctions work: suppliers bid against each other to lower a price on a line item, with the system advancing until no further bids are made. She said the tool would be used primarily for commodities such as paper, road salt and treatment chemicals and that procurement would still evaluate responsibility and responsiveness before awarding a contract.
A committee member asked whether other localities use reverse auctions and what commodities are suited to the format; Almerz said she has used reverse auctions at another municipality and that paper is a likely candidate. The director agreed to share savings information back to the committee if the city implements reverse auctions.
No public speakers spoke for or against the ordinance. The committee voted to forward ordinance 20 25-1 37 to council with a recommendation to approve. The transcript records Miss Gibson: Yes; Vice Chair Aberbacher: I (recorded as affirmative).
