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Council seeks clarity on Boundtree Medical contract listing after $3,000,000 'not to exceed' appears on agenda
Summary
City staff clarified that the Boundtree Medical line item for cases of medical gloves is an item-based bid establishing unit prices and not an intention to purchase $3,000,000 worth of gloves; council members requested clearer agenda language to prevent misinterpretation.
City procurement staff told the Mobile City Council during the pre-meeting that a Boundtree Medical contract listing for "cases of medical gloves" is an item-based bid to set unit prices rather than a plan to spend $3,000,000 on gloves.
An unidentified staff member said the $3,000,000 'not to exceed' language was on the agenda in error or as a placeholder and that the purchase is "really as needed" and that "we're we're buying gloves as needed, and you're really awarding... a unit price for a box of surgical gloves." The staff member said the award is an item-based bid and that it is not the city's intention to buy $3,000,000 worth of gloves.
Council members urged clearer wording on the agenda summary or a corrected resolution to show the item is an item-based bid and not a lump-sum purchase. One council member suggested amending the resolution language to say "item based bid for cases of gloves, and not to exceed the 3 million found with us" or to include a correct 'not to exceed' amount on the contract summary so it does not get mistaken for a large lump-sum purchase.
What’s next: Staff said they will correct or clarify the agenda language and can provide DBE documentation for related contracts prior to the council meeting.
