Finance committee approves multiple contract amendments, cuts Lincoln Avenue pipeline award

Warwick’s Finance Committee voted June 2 to approve a bundle of contract awards and amendments affecting water, public works, IT and public safety operations.

The committee amended the award for the 29 Lincoln Avenue water-main replacement project, reducing the previously proposed $1,000,000 award to $694,380. Public Works Director Eric Earls told the committee the reduced award reflects the successful low bid ($587,650) plus a 20% contingency ($115,730). Earls and council members said the project is a straightforward replacement of about 600 linear feet of cast-iron pipe with PVC and that Stantec, the city’s consultant, had vetted the bidder and did not expect the large overruns seen on unrelated projects. The committee approved the amendment and then the item as amended.

Also approved: - Adding Pete’s Tire Barn as an additional vendor on an existing city tire bid for the remainder of the contract term (no additional funding requested). Christy Moretti (Public Works) said the vendor is local to Providence and will provide a local option when primary vendors lack specific tire sizes for sanitation and emergency vehicles. - A contract alteration and extension for Rossi Collections (tax collection services) with an additional $150,000 to pursue collection on delinquent motor-vehicle and personal-property tax accounts. Kyla Jones, Tax Collector, said Rossi has collected more than $950,000 on prior letters and will continue collection activity on roughly 1,800 delinquent accounts totaling about $3,000,000 in owed taxes dating back to 2016. The contract pays Rossi on a contingency basis: 14.5% of amounts collected via the letter campaign and 24% if accounts require litigation. - A one-year contract award for telephony services to Cox Communications for an estimated $121,000 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). IT Director Phil (Bill) Carlucci said the award covers the city’s VOIP desk-phone system (city side only, not schools) and reflected an exception to bid. - A two-year award for analytical testing of water samples to Rhode Island Analytical with an amended two‑year funding cap reduced from $120,000 to $60,000; the committee approved the reduction and the award for the period 06/09/2025–06/08/2027. - Network-connectivity services piggybacking the state MPA at roughly $117,600 for 07/01/2025–06/30/2026; Carlucci said the small net increase over last year stems from additional managed switches tied to new equipment (for example, body-worn camera infrastructure) rather than an increase in vendor per-port rates. - A requested increase in the Safeguard work-boot program to reflect a new collective-bargaining benefit (city reimbursement up to $150 per eligible employee, and eligible employees increased from 102 to 149). Personnel Director Steven Rotondo explained the higher cap is the arithmetic result of more employees eligible and a higher per-person reimbursement; he said unused money returns to the general fund. - A contract to refurbish an existing Zamboni rather than buying a new machine, after an onsite evaluation found the stored unit could be repaired for a fraction of the cost of a new machine and better suited for an outdoor rink.

Committee members pressed for clarifications on several items: councilors asked whether funds for Lincoln Avenue were new or carried over (Earls said design funds were carried from prior years, while the construction award was new), who would oversee contractor paperwork (Mike DiPietrillo, capital projects supervisor), and why several bid items reached the committee late in the cycle (staff requested more lead time going forward). Jones (Tax Collector) also agreed to supply the finance committee with the number and total of accounts beyond the 10‑year window the city had turned over to the collection firm.

The committee’s approvals were made by voice vote during the meeting; items with amendments were voted as amended.

Why it matters: the package covers a large set of operational needs — from immediate vehicle maintenance and water quality testing to revenue collection and stand‑up of technology services — and includes a pipeline construction award that will affect service and capital spending in at least one ward. Several councilors said they want tighter timing on bid packaging to avoid last-minute requests and more clarity on carryover versus newly budgeted funds.

What’s next: amended awards and contracts proceed to the council or are implemented per the city procurement rules; staff committed to follow-up memos with the committee on carryover accounting, the tax-collection aging reports beyond 2016–2023, and oversight assignments for the Lincoln Avenue construction phase.