Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Portland hires FHI Studio for riverfront planning and waives bids for longtime vendor Scranton Communications
Summary
The board authorized a roughly $220,000 planning contract with FHI Studio for a downtown/riverfront master plan and approved a waiver of competitive bidding to continue using Scranton Communications to outfit town vehicles; both measures passed by voice vote.
The Board of Selectmen on June 4 voted to contract with Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc. (doing business as FHI Studio, a subsidiary of IMEG) for a Downtown Portland Master Plan and authorized the town’s first selectman to execute the agreement. The resolution, read into the record by a board member, described a base contract prior to change orders of approximately $220,000 to be funded with a state planning grant.
Selectman (S3) read the contract resolution aloud and the board approved it after brief discussion about grant matching and scope; the resolution authorizes the first selectman to execute the contract on behalf of the town. The contract is identified as bid number 2025-05-BAR and the board said FHI was chosen from seven respondents.
In a separate procurement action, the board waived bid requirements under section 1208 of the Portland Charter to permit Scranton Communications and Electronics LLC to outfit municipal vehicles with communications, emergency lighting and other equipment. The waiver resolution cited Scranton’s long history of providing equipment to the town and authorized the first selectman to enter into the necessary agreements on the town’s behalf. The motion to waive bidding was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote.
Board members said the waiver was sought because factory-installed equipment from vehicle vendors is often more expensive and Scranton has provided cost-effective work for the town over many years. The waiver and the FHI contract both passed without recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript.
What’s next: The town will proceed with contracting steps for the master plan and subsequent design work for riverfront parcels; procurement staff will coordinate implementation of the Scranton agreement.
