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Commissioners approve $6.57M resurfacing contract amid questions about local small-business participation
Summary
The board approved a $6.57 million state-aid asphalt resurfacing contract but commissioners pressed procurement staff about the absence of locally owned small-business participation goals for the award and the options for accessing bidder information.
The Shelby County Commission approved a $6.57 million contract with Standard Construction Company, Inc. for state-aid asphalt resurfacing, but the item prompted a prolonged floor exchange about locally owned small-business (LOSB) participation on state- and federally funded contracts.
Commissioner Thoron raised concerns about how many local companies bid and why the procurement did not include a LOSB participation goal. Procurement staff told the board the project was funded by a state aid grant and treated as a commodity award, and that county policy and state rules limit attaching LOSB percentage goals to state or federal awards. ‘‘It’s more of a state law... we’re not allowed to attach goals to federal or state awards,’’ county attorney Megan Smith explained, adding that the county does operate a sheltered market process for small purchases below certain thresholds.
Staff said 77 vendors were solicited, three local vendors submitted bids, and the award followed a sealed-bid, lowest-and-best evaluation. Commissioners asked how members of the public could obtain a list of bidders; purchasing staff said interested parties may request bid information through a public records request or consult bid documentation in the county system.
Commissioner Brooks asked the county attorney to pursue guidance from the state attorney general on the application of the county’s LOSB program to piggybacked or state contracts, noting commissioners’ concerns about reduced local subcontracting opportunities when piggyback contracts are used. Purchasing staff also said that if the solicitation is a commodity or originates from state contract terms there may be limited ability to impose local participation goals.
The board approved the contract by recorded vote; the tally showed seven yes votes and three abstentions. Commissioners asked staff to post documents and respond to follow-up requests about the bidder list and subcontracting plans.
