The Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee on Nov. 19 authorized staff to release a request for proposals to replace elementary classroom furniture across the district, using a $1.4 million reimbursement the district received under the Inflation Reduction Act as the committed funding source. The committee’s action was limited to releasing the RFP; any purchase would require a later approval.

Andy Lekman (finance staff) told the committee the $1.4 million came as a reimbursement tied to geothermal work at Fort Washington Elementary and was set aside last year as a committed fund balance for this project. "The total reimbursement that we received was $1,400,000," he said, noting that the district had included the expenditure in last year’s budget planning.

The procurement will use the state CoStar contract pricing as a baseline and ask participating CoStar dealers to submit pricing with an optional voluntary discount. Lekman said the RFP asks vendors to provide two pricing approaches: a price per school (allowing the district to award by building) and a single price for all elementary buildings combined so the district can compare potential economies of scale. "Option 1 specifically requires a price for considering each school as a separate project, allowing the most flexibility for the final project," he said.

Staff recommended awarding to the lowest responsible bidder under that structure. Lekman said staff aim to return pricing to the finance committee at its Dec. 10 meeting for review; any purchase order would be issued only after a future committee recommendation and a formal purchase approval.

Doctor Smith, joining virtually, said she appreciated the board considering the project and reiterated that no purchases were being approved tonight. Committee members asked procedural questions about whether dealers or manufacturers could bid, how chair sizes would be standardized by grade, and whether pricing would be firm; staff said only CoStar‑listed dealers may submit proposals, that materials include grade‑specific sizes, and that any awarded pricing would be valid only for a limited period.

The RFP will include a bill of materials so proposals are comparable across schools; staff said that will allow an "apples to apples" comparison of equipment and discounts. The administration emphasized releasing the RFP would not obligate the district to purchase; it would bring proposals back to committee for a future recommendation and formal approval.