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Facilities Commission explains specialized hazardous-abatement waiver; board approves $185,000 contract
Summary
The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission sought and received a waiver to award a specialized hazardous-abatement contract under $250,000 after outreach found only one capable bidder; Senators questioned the limited competition.
The State Controlling Board approved an Ohio Facilities Construction Commission item that waived competitive bidding for a roughly $185,000 hazardous-substance removal and abatement project at the Ohio Department of Agriculture lab.
AJ Thomas for the Facilities Construction Commission said the project involved specialized hood-vent abatement work that had not been used in more than a decade and that outreach to organizations (Battelle, Abbott Labs, Ohio State) and a broad internet search within a 1,000-mile radius identified only two capable firms; only one submitted a bid. "So then we just started going to the internet, casting a wide search, and within 1000 miles, there was only 2 companies that were able to perform this work... and only 1 of the companies did" bid, he said. Because the amount was under the statutory threshold for competitive bidding (stated as $250,000), the commission sought a waiver.
Senator Kaler asked why the work was not competitively bid; Thomas explained the specialized nature of the job and the limited market for vendors. The board approved the waiver and contract.
What happens next: The Facilities Construction Commission will proceed with the selected contractor for abatement work; the commission said it may expand bidding channels in future similar procurements.
