Rockingham County commissioners on Jan. 8 tabled a decision on a new janitorial contract after an extended discussion over how competing bids accounted for labor hours, specialized window cleaning and liability.

Commissioners and staff debated whether to split the contract — excluding window cleaning from the award — or require vendors to bid on a uniform set of hours. Department staff and multiple commissioners said the RFP responses arrived with inconsistent assumptions about hours and night-shift coverage, which made direct price comparisons difficult. The board’s procurement lead and department heads emphasized the need for clarity before signing a long-term contract.

Two vendors present answered commissioners’ questions. Chris Bright, founder and CEO of American Facilities, said the company bid to the scope provided and that differing hours reflect different approaches to accomplishing the work: “If we can do that in 12 hours and someone can do that in 14, to me, that shows a 2 hour inefficiency difference.” He also said American Facilities carries large liability policies and uses local contractor relationships for specialty work such as high-rise window lifts.

A company representative identified in the record as Miss Spencer said American Facilities’ proposal is an “all-in bid” for the scope and that additional hourly rates were included only to give the county flexibility if it later requests added services. “The tour that Chris and Caleb completed and the scope of work that is required is all inclusive within our bid,” she said.

Several commissioners voiced safety concerns about low-priced window-cleaning line items, noting the building’s three-story elevations and the potential need for boom trucks and higher insurance and workers’ comp classifications for that work. After commissioners requested that the same follow-up questions be posed to all bidders — and that Star, a finalist who was not present, be given the same opportunity to respond — the board voted to table the award and directed staff to send the list of questions to all proposers and return next week with their answers.

The board’s action was procedural: the motion to table was adopted and no vendor was awarded the contract. Staff will collect vendor responses, prepare a written FAQ for proposers and bring the matter back for a final decision at the next meeting or a special session.