Finance committee approves multiple sole‑source waivers, retroactive purchases for transit, airport and public works

The Bangor City Finance Committee on Feb. 3 approved a slate of procurement actions to keep city operations moving, including a retroactive purchase to repair a Community Connector bus, sole‑source contracts for airport and parking systems, and an emergency traffic‑signal replacement. One award for new police dispatch consoles was tabled so staff can correct a bid‑tab error.

City staff told the committee the Community Connector had an engine failure on a 2017 bus that was beyond warranty and that three quotes were solicited. Freightliner (matching a required Cummins engine) submitted the low bid; staff recommended proceeding with the repair and an optional five‑year warranty. Because the Community Connector is primarily funded with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) dollars, staff followed federal small‑purchase guidance; the local 20% share for the repair will come from the Community Connector preventive‑maintenance operating budget.

The committee also approved a sole‑source purchase to install the same parking payment machines used elsewhere in the city at the Pickering Square garage so the new equipment will interoperate with existing gates and software (the packet…