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District awards garbage and recycling contract; trustees press staff on single‑bid milk procurement
Summary
District staff said Republic Services submitted the lowest bid for garbage and recycling, reducing garbage costs about 6% and recycling about 21%; staff also reported a single-bid milk contract (incumbent Prairie/Perry Farms) under a flexible‑price model and trustees questioned single-source risk.
District staff presented routine procurement results at the May 12 Crete Monee School Board committee meeting, recommending the district renew a two‑year garbage and recycling contract with Republic Services and approve a one‑year milk contract with subsequent extensions under a flexible pricing model.
According to staff, the garbage bid came in roughly 6% lower than the previous rate and recycling costs fell by about 21%, prompting the recommendation to award a two‑year contract to incumbent Republic Services. Trustees asked questions but did not oppose the recommendation during the discussion.
On meal service procurement, staff reported they received a single bid for milk from the district's incumbent provider (identified during the meeting as Prairie Farms). The milk contract is structured as a one‑year agreement with the option to extend up to four years and uses a flexible, market‑based pricing model that staff said had been lower than a competitor's fixed price in prior procurements.
Several trustees raised concerns about the risk posed when only one vendor responds to a solicitation, noting that single‑source bidding can give a vendor market leverage. Staff said they rely on the district's purchasing cooperative to cross‑check prices and provided historical month‑by‑month pricing to the board for context.
No formal contract approvals were taken at the committee meeting; staff said these items will appear on the next board packet for formal action. Trustees asked staff to include additional FYI details — for example, a breakdown of remaining working‑cash balances tied to the construction projects and more historical price detail for milk procurement — when the items return for vote.
