Danbury Board of Awards approves seven procurement actions including school seating, radio upgrades and audit services

The Danbury City Board of Awards on Nov. 13 voted unanimously to approve seven procurement actions covering school facilities, public‑safety communications, parks equipment and audit support.

Purchasing agent Chip Folky opened the meeting, read a roll call of city officials and described each procurement. For the Gayberg High School auditorium seating replacement, staff said only a single sealed bid was received and presented a motion to award the contract to J.A. Rose Construction LLC, including alternates 1–4, for a total award of $1,088,409. “This was an American Rescue Plan ARPA funded request,” Folky said. The motion was moved and seconded and carried unanimously; staff said consultant approvals (Pete Campbell, Connor Davies and Derek Sinekant) were pending.

The board also approved an amendment to a sole‑source purchase order with Firematic Supply for Pierce OEM parts and services. Folky said the original purchase order had been issued for up to $14,000 and the fire department requested an additional $5,000; the board voted to amend the order so the total authorized amount would be $19,000. Folky noted Firematic is the authorized Pierce reseller for the Connecticut territory.

A sole‑source service agreement with Honeywell Corporation for annual temperature‑control equipment maintenance on school buildings was approved for $273,824. Staff presented a sole‑source justification stating Honeywell is the manufacturer and installer of the equipment currently in the district’s buildings.

To improve radio coverage for Danbury first responders, the board approved two related purchases: a Motorola purchase order for $90,381.81 to add two fire channels and one police channel to the city’s UHF simulcast system at the Moses Mountain AT&T tower site, and a $68,243.22 purchase to Northeastern Communications (Norcom CT) for antennas and installation to support those enhancements. Both procurements were presented as using state contract pricing and both were approved unanimously.

Parks maintenance equipment — field line striping machinery — was awarded to the apparent low bidder recorded in the transcript as Sharon (or Cheryl) Williams for $15,612. Staff said six bids were received and that the request was ARPA funded.

Finally, the board approved a contract with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) for government accounting services to assist with audit preparation, not to exceed $200,000. Staff said CLA has performed prior audits for the city and Danbury Public Schools beginning with the 2022 audit and presented a sole‑source justification citing capacity and the need to avoid delays in outstanding audits.

All seven motions were moved, seconded and carried by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned after the awards were approved.