Board denies procurement protest, awards emergency logistics contract and directs staff to seek backup vendors
Summary
The board approved a three-year emergency-management logistics contract with Garner Environmental Services, denied a bid protest from ABML LLC and directed staff to issue an expedited solicitation for multiple backup contractors after concerns about selection‑committee composition were raised and rejected.
Monroe County commissioners on Wednesday approved a three-year contract awarding emergency-management logistics services to Garner Environmental Services, Inc., rejected a protest from a competing bidder and directed staff to run an expedited solicitation to secure backup contractors.
The contract award followed a formal, timely written protest filed by ABML LLC. ABML’s attorney argued the county’s selection committee failed to follow purchasing procedures outlined in the county’s procurement policy—specifically Chapter 3(b)(9)—because a former county employee who had left county employment participated in the evaluation panel. The protest asked the board to deny the award, reject the bids and re-advertise the solicitation.
Pedro Mercado, Chief Assistant County Attorney, told the board the protest lacked standing because ABML was ranked third in the evaluation and could not show the award would have come to it if the panel’s work were set aside. Mercado also said the selection complied with the purchasing procedures: the interim emergency-management director assembled a three‑member selection committee and the county’s records showed no consultant contract existed with the former employee named by the protester.
An attorney for ABML, Anthony (AJ) Davila, pressed that the panel did not meet the policy requirements and said participation by someone not employed by the county at the time of the selection conflicted with the rule that consultants contracted to the county may not serve on a selection committee. Davila asked the board to void the award and re-run the process.
After hearing the presentations, the board approved the county attorney’s recommendation to deny the protest and award the contract to Garner. Commissioners also voted to require staff to issue an expedited request for proposals to procure one or more backup contractors, citing the operational need for alternative vendors in the event of a major storm when contractors may be fully committed elsewhere.
Roll call recorded Commissioner Michelle Lincoln voting yes, Commissioner Raschein abstaining, Commissioner David Rice yes, Commissioner Cates absent; Mayor Scholl voted yes. The motion to award and to direct staff to issue an expedited RFP for backup contractors carried on that count.
County staff and legal counsel advised that, because the county will seek FEMA reimbursement for disaster-related services, the single-award structure in the current solicitation limited the county’s ability to hold multiple prime vendors under the same procurement; the expedited follow-up solicitation was intended to produce additional standing vendors without delaying the immediate award.
The board’s resolution and contract award materials will be filed with procurement and posted per county practice; staff said they will return with any recommended contract amendments or final backup‑contract awards once the additional procurement is complete.
