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Committee approves payment and one‑year extension for safety markings vendor
Summary
The committee approved payment to a safety-markings vendor for work that exceeded a purchase order and authorized a one-year option worth $200,000 to extend the vendor contract; staff said the overrun resulted from internal communication errors and stressed liability/safety reasons for using a specialized contractor.
The Providence City Committee on Finance approved two related items for traffic-safety pavement markings: (1) a payment to Safety Markings LLC for $100,966.53 to settle completed work that exceeded an earlier purchase order, and (2) authorization of a one-year option under the existing contract for up to $200,000.
Traffic engineering presenter Nate Urso told the committee the vendor completed safety-marking work across the city but a miscommunication inside the Department of Public Works led to the vendor exceeding the purchase order. “This is work that’s already been done. So this is a request to be able to pay the vendor for the work that they’ve done,” Urso said on the record.
Councilors asked what steps the administration had taken to avoid similar overruns. Staff said they will work with Finance, Purchasing and Legal to tighten internal processes and vendor communications. Committee members also raised the option of bringing some marking work in-house but staff cautioned that pavement-marking work is hazardous, specialized, and carries liability and equipment costs that often make contracting the safer option.
The committee approved the payment and the option-year extension; the extension will allow the Department of Public Works to plan marking work based on field reviews and community requests.
