Board approves waste-services and construction contracts, attaches justification letters

The Vicksburg Warren School District board on Dec. 18 approved vendor selections for waste services and a baseball/softball construction project after staff recommended awards and attached explanatory letters to justify not selecting the lowest bids.

For waste services the board approved the district’s recommendation to select Delta Waste Solutions and to attach a letter explaining why the lowest-priced bidder was not chosen. Staff and board members said the letter provides details on usage and qualifications that make Delta the best value despite not being the lowest price.

For the baseball/softball project, staff opened eight bids and, after reference checks and evaluation, recommended Mills Construction as the "lowest and best" bidder. Board members noted the current contractor for an earlier fencing project had been four months late and that reference checks influenced the decision; the difference between the lowest bid and the selected bid was about $50,000, staff said. The motions to award both contracts and to attach the explanatory letters were seconded and approved by voice vote.

Staff said the letters and scoring documents will be attached to the minutes to document the procurement rationale.