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Lincoln purchasing committee recommends council approve five competitive‑bidding waivers
Summary
At its meeting, the Lincoln Purchasing Committee voted to recommend that the Town Council waive competitive bidding and approve five purchases: two ductless mini‑splits for the senior center, a Memorial Day fireworks contract, police rifles via trade‑in credit, four in‑vehicle modems, and SCADA electrical troubleshooting. All items passed by voice vote.
The Lincoln Purchasing Committee met and recommended that the Town Council approve five waivers of competitive bidding covering facility repairs, public events and public‑safety equipment.
The committee’s first item was a request to buy two ductless mini‑split units for the Lincoln Senior Center as a short‑term response to inadequate heat in two frequently used rooms. A staff member said mineral deposits in piping from the building’s geothermal heating/cooling system have reduced heat delivery in the card room and exercise/art room, with temperatures ‘‘literally going into, like, 58 to 62 degrees.’’ Staff described the mini‑splits as a temporary fix while the town seeks CVGB funds for a full HVAC replacement estimated at about $350,000. The recommended vendor, using a state MPA cooperative purchase, is Automatic Temperature Controls Inc.; the committee was presented an amount of $23,008.68 to come from Senior Center Fund 66. The committee moved and approved a recommendation to the council by voice vote.
The second item was a request to piggyback on the City of Warwick’s procurement for a Memorial Day fireworks display. The committee was told Central Maine Pyrotechnics is the vendor, with a $16,500 price tag to be paid from the DPW/Parks & Recreation general fund; staff said a $5,000 state grant will offset part of the cost tied to the town’s celebration branding. Committee members moved and the committee approved recommending that the council award the contract.
The third request sought approval to acquire additional police rifles from Atlantic Tactical. Staff explained the purchase is funded through a JAG grant with a trade‑in program that produced a credit; the listed credit/amount was $8,430.80. A committee member noted the purchase extends a prior procurement and that the trade‑in credit effectively covers the cost. According to staff, the acquisition would raise the number of rifles so most officers would have access to one. The committee moved and approved recommending the award.
The fourth item covered replacement of in‑vehicle modems for four patrol vehicles to support a statewide migration to a new computer‑aided‑dispatch (CAD) system (a CSI product). Staff said the upgrade is required to ensure officers’ mobile devices can connect to the new system and that the purchases would be paid from discretionary HIDTA/drug‑intervention funds rather than the general police budget. The vendor named was Northeast MDT and the amount presented was $11,007.94. The committee moved and approved recommending that council waive competitive bidding and award the purchase.
Finally, the committee considered a waiver to allow Veolia to provide electrical troubleshooting and related corrective work for the town’s SCADA/sewer system under existing contractual additional‑services provisions. Committee members questioned whether the contractor would only detect issues or also perform repairs; staff clarified troubleshooting and corrective electrical work fall within the additional services available in the existing contract. The committee approved recommending the $26,450 contract to the council.
All five items were advanced to the Town Council by voice vote; specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the committee transcript. The Purchasing Committee then adjourned.
