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SoDo recycler protests RFP award, warns hundreds of jobs could move out of Seattle
Summary
Wendy Weicker of a SoDo recycling center told the council the city's recyclables-processing RFP award was unfair and possibly violates the Seattle Municipal Code; she said Republic Services bid to process up to 100% while the other bidder offered 50% and that the result jeopardizes roughly 27 union jobs and 60 WMBE positions.
Wendy Weicker, who identified herself as the initial manager for a SoDo recycling center, told the Seattle City Council on Jan. 20 that the city's recent recyclables-processing request for proposals (RFP) outcome was unfair and would harm local jobs.
Weicker said Republic Services submitted a bid to process up to 100% of the city’s recyclables while another bidder offered to take only 50%, and she called a city decision to award 100% to a vendor that bid for half of the work a "classic bait and switch." She said the outcome could violate the Seattle Municipal Code governing fair and open competition.
"This protest isn't just a process dispute, it's also about the pocketbooks of Seattle residents," Weicker said, warning that rate increases could follow and that about 100 jobs at her South Seattle facility are uncertain. She specifically cited 27 union jobs and about 60 positions at WMBE firms that she said are at risk if processing moves outside city limits.
Weicker urged the council to reconsider the RFP evaluation process, to protect local livelihoods, to honor fair bidding practices, and to maintain long-term partnerships with local processors who have worked with the city for decades.
Council members did not take immediate action on the protest at the Jan. 20 meeting; the comment was entered into the public record and may inform future procurement follow-up or formal protests.
