Board presses procurement changes after concerns about single‑vendor renewals and bid notifications

Hernando County School Board members questioned procurement practices after a recent renewal with a single vendor and asked staff to expand outreach to local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce.

Board member Mr. Johnson said district policy and statutes require getting three bids when appropriate and voiced concern that renewals and piggybacks had left the district relying on single vendors. He proposed the district solicit vendors by contacting the local Chamber of Commerce and county licensing offices to ensure a broader pool of bidders.

District staff explained that many contracts in the procurement system are renewals or piggybacks and that a list produced for the board showed roughly 20 solicitations that currently have only one vendor in the system. Staff said they will remove piggybacks from the list for review and investigate whether the procurement portal’s fee structure (a vendor convenience fee mentioned as $10/month for notification service) is deterring participation.

Staff described immediate steps: coordination with the Chamber of Commerce to post bid notices on the Chamber site and to make the district’s procurement portal more prominent on the district website, outreach by procurement and communications staff to market bidding opportunities, and targeted outreach on solicitations that currently list only one vendor.

Board members asked staff to research whether other districts charge vendor notification fees, to compile lists of categories with one vendor and to identify low‑cost ways to broaden outreach before the next round of renewals. No formal policy change was voted; staff said they are implementing outreach changes and will provide follow‑up data.