Board declines to approve four‑year janitorial award to ABM after questions over service and process
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Summary
The Lebanon school board did not approve awarding a four‑year janitorial services contract to ABM after board members raised quality concerns, questioned principal involvement in the bid review and asked for contract protections; ABM had submitted a low-and-best bid of $899,782 including a 2% increase over the prior year.
The Lebanon Special School District board did not approve a motion to award janitorial services to ABM after questions from multiple board members about service quality, evaluation process and contract terms.
Administrators told the board that the district received seven sealed bids after issuing an invitation to bid and holding a mandatory pre‑bid meeting. The district recommended ABM as the “lowest and best” bidder; staff reported ABM’s proposal totaled $899,782 and includes a 2% increase over the previous year.
Board members pressed staff for details about whether principals were part of the bid review, how ABM had performed under the current contract and whether the contract covered cleaning of individual classroom restrooms. Board members said they had received teacher complaints that some classroom bathrooms were not being cleaned. A staff response said principals evaluate monthly and that the district is changing evaluation to an objective score; staff also said they will meet with ABM to address quality concerns.
Several board members said the scoring rubric used in procurement prioritized factors beyond price and produced a $300,000 spread between some proposals; one member said that gap was a “red flag” they wanted to understand before awarding a long contract. Board discussion also covered whether the board should see a draft contract before approving a bid award. Staff said the bid award would allow them to begin drafting a contract and that contract terms (including a cure period and a 30‑day cancellation provision if problems are not remedied) would be included before final contract approval.
Because no board member made a motion to approve the ABM recommendation, the item was not approved and will be revisited. Staff said they would consult the board attorney on next steps and that the current contract remains in effect through July 1, providing time to rebid if necessary.
Clarifying details provided at the meeting included the number of bid responses and basic scoring observations; staff said 14 entities requested bid packets, 10 attended the pre‑bid meeting and seven sealed bids were submitted. Staff also confirmed ABM has provided janitorial services to the district since 02/2014 under the existing arrangement.
Board members asked staff to return with additional information about principals’ input, the bid rubric scoring, and proposed contract remedies before taking further action.