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Providence Board of Contract and Supply opens bids and approves most items, continues item 7
Summary
At its Dec. 16 meeting the Providence Board of Contract and Supply opened bids for multiple city contracts, referred bids to the city clerk, continued item 7 and approved items 1–35 with item 24 subject to counsel review; the approval passed 8–1 with three members absent.
The Providence City Board of Contract and Supply on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, elected a chair, opened city contract bids across multiple departments and approved items 1 through 35 on the agenda while continuing item 7 and leaving item 24 subject to counsel review. The roll-call approval passed 8–1 with three members absent.
The meeting began with attendance called and the election of a chair. Director Joseph DePina moved to elect the chair; Director Peter Bellini seconded the motion, which carried without recorded opposition. The board then moved to Section B to open bids for a range of city contracts, from employee insurance to engineering and school construction services.
City staff read out bids for multiple items. Examples included a three-year medical insurance bid from UnitedHealthcare at $3,539,277.60; a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island figure of $46.92 per employee per month for medical coverage; Securian Life Insurance Co. at $221,727.17 for supplemental life-line items; and multiple bids for the Department of Planning and Development'2Fort Shoreline Resilience'2 technical and scientific services procurement. The Office of Sustainability received bids for community recycling outreach and for electric-vehicle charging design and construction, including bids for a Roger Williams Park Carriage House charger (reported $146,312) and the Dalrymple boathouse charger (reported $128,177).
After opening bids, the board voted to refer the received bids to the city clerk's office for processing. A separate motion to enter the procurement record for item 7 into the minutes passed, and the board later voted to continue item 7 to a future meeting upon a motion by Chief Courtney Hawkins, seconded by Councilman Becharter.
A consolidated motion to approve items 1 through 35 was made with the condition that item 7 be continued and item 24 require counsel approval. Director Joseph DePina moved the approval; a second was recorded from Director (John) Arzumanian. The board conducted a roll-call vote: Courtney Hawkins (Aye), Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo (Aye), Sarah Silveria (Aye), Elaine Richards (Aye), Joseph DePina (Aye), Patricia Poin Faye (Aye), Shamari Husband (Nay), John Arzumanian (Aye) and John Piccolini (Aye). The motion carried. The transcript notes three members absent at the start of the meeting.
The board also approved the minutes from the Dec. 2, 2024, meeting; the minutes approval included at least one abstention recorded in the transcript. The meeting concluded with the board adjourning.
Why it matters: these approvals and the bid openings advance procurement for city services and capital projects that affect employee benefits, school construction and infrastructure work across Providence. By referring bids to the clerk's office and continuing at least one procurement item, the board preserved a review path for additional legal or technical scrutiny.
Votes at a glance: - Election of chair: Motion carried (move: Director Joseph DePina; second: Director Peter Bellini). Recorded outcome: chair elected. - Refer bids to city clerk: Motion carried (mover: Director Blaney; second: Treasurer Shamari Husband). Outcome: bids referred for processing. - Enter bid record for item 7 into record: Motion carried (mover: Director Richards; second: Treasurer Shamari Husband). - Continue item 7: Motion carried (mover: Chief Courtney Hawkins; second: Councilman Becharter). Outcome: item 7 continued. - Approve items 1—25 (with item 7 continued and item 24 requiring counsel approval): Motion carried by roll call, 8 ayes, 1 nay, 3 absent (mover: Director Joseph DePina; second: Director John Arzumanian). Outcome: approvals recorded. - Approve minutes, Dec. 2, 2024: Motion carried; at least one abstention recorded.
What was not decided: Item 7 was continued for future consideration; item 24 was approved conditionally pending counsel review. The transcript does not include final contract awards or execution dates for the bids read at the meeting.
