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Parish awards engineering agreement for criminal justice complex generator after tie-breaker on schedule
Summary
Terrebonne Parish approved an engineering agreement with Moreira, Cuvillon & Associates LLC to support a generator project for the criminal justice complex after a scoring tie was broken on which firm could start fastest.
Terrebonne Parish voted to authorize the parish president to enter into an agreement with Moreira, Cuvillon & Associates LLC for engineering services to support the criminal justice complex generator project. The selection followed a scoring process for proposals; two firms were closely scored and a tie-breaker question about project start and scheduling broke the tie in favor of the selected firm.
Councilmembers asked whether the selection must be the highest-scoring firm by law; staff explained that the procurement approach (request for proposals vs. low-bid procurement) and the funding source govern how scoring and selections are handled. For professional services such as engineering, staff said price often is resolved at contract stage rather than awarded on score alone.
Procurement staff said the tie-breaker was based on availability of resources and the number of days until the proposer could begin the project. The winning firm was judged able to mobilize faster, which gave it the edge in the committee’s scoring matrix. Council members asked whether penalties for missing deadlines are in the contract; staff said liquidated-damage or contract penalty language would be included in the contract.
A council member noted the desire to favor local firms where practical; staff reiterated that unless locality preferences are written into the RFP and allowable under the funding source, the parish must follow competitive scoring rules.
The resolution to select Moreira, Cuvillon & Associates LLC was moved by Danny Babin and seconded by Carl Harding and was recorded as approved in the meeting (vote recorded as yes:9, no:0).
Clarifying details: staff explained that engineering fees for professional services are typically calculated as a percentage of the project’s estimated cost and that a firm’s rate sheet is used primarily for change orders or extra work. The procurement scoring included categories such as qualifications, availability of resources and proposed schedule, and the tie-breaker applied to availability/schedule.
Votes at a glance: Resolution authorizing agreement with Moreira, Cuvillon & Associates LLC for criminal justice complex generator support — moved Danny Babin, second Carl Harding; outcome: approved (yes:9, no:0, abstain:0).
