Committee advances use of statewide MRSC small-works roster and hears job-order contracting briefing

The Government Performance & Finance Committee on May 19 voted to forward to the full City Council a proposed ordinance authorizing the City of Tacoma to use the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) statewide small‑works roster and to repeal the city’s current local small‑works chapter.

Ted Carlson, purchasing manager in the Finance Department’s procurement and payables division, told the committee the state enacted legislation in 2024 authorizing the MRSC roster and enabling municipalities to use direct contracting for projects below a $150,000 threshold. He described the proposed change as supplemental to existing procurement methods and said the statewide roster should expand the pool of contractors and make it easier to identify historically underutilized firms through PWSE/OMWBE designations.

Carlson summarized advantages and risks. He said the roster would ease registration burdens for contractors and shorten timelines: "The statewide roster does allow contractors to register just once for work, statewide." He also warned that smaller contractors may need more support to navigate public‑works requirements and that the roster’s direct‑contract authority only applies under specified thresholds.

Committee members pressed staff on threshold numbers and fairness. Staff clarified the tiered approach discussed in the presentation: direct contracting can be used for projects under $150,000, and the small‑works roster approach applies up to a $350,000 cap; projects above those limits revert to standard bidding and specification requirements. Council members also sought reassurances about rotation and guardrails to ensure open access to bidding; staff said the MRSC roster includes criteria and rotation rules and that local procurement policies would continue to govern use.

After the MRSC discussion, staff gave an informational briefing on job order contracting (JOC) as another alternative procurement tool for recurring, multi‑trade projects. Carlson described JOC as a single contract under which the city can perform multiple projects as they arise by translating work into line‑item pricing against a unit price book. He noted typical constraints drawn from RCW: JOC contracts are commonly limited to three‑year terms, a per‑contract annual cap was described by staff as $4,000,000, and individual projects under a JOC are generally limited by the law to $500,000. Staff said JOC can speed delivery and reduce staff time spent preparing specifications but can carry higher unit prices and therefore often benefits from consultant oversight.

Councilor questions about union work and prevailing wage were answered: staff confirmed public‑works projects procured under these methods must comply with prevailing‑wage and RCW public‑works requirements.

The committee voted to forward the ordinance adopting MRSC to the full Council; the job‑order contracting discussion was informational and no separate action was taken on JOC at the meeting. Staff flagged an upcoming State Auditor Office entrance conference for the 2025 financial and federal audit at the June 2 meeting.