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Commission orders review of new city catering contract after commissioners object to price differences
Summary
After staff presented six qualified catering vendors with widely varying per-person prices, several commissioners objected to high menu prices and directed staff to revisit procurement parameters and consider a price-capped option.
Sanford commissioners on June 9 directed staff to revisit the city’s recent catering procurement after members raised concerns that several newly qualified vendors proposed per-person prices substantially higher than the vendor the city had used previously.
Procurement staff said the solicitation invited vendors on qualifications rather than setting a fixed per-plate price; six vendors were chosen to provide variety for the city. The commission noted the city’s long-standing practice of paying roughly $12 per plate for many events and that the new set of proposals included prices up to and above $35 per person. Several commissioners said that disparity was problematic for recurring uses such as Citizens Academy and routine staff events.
Commissioners asked staff to reissue or revise the procurement to include a clear cap or a fixed per-plate price so the city can obtain comparable proposals and control recurring costs. Staff said the city could choose among qualified vendors in the interim and that a revised solicitation could specify a city price-per-plate cap; the commission asked staff to return with a recommended approach. No vendor award decision was made at the work session.
