School committee approves two‑year Jet Security contract after brief procurement debate

The Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School Committee voted to approve a two‑year renewal of its security services contract with Jet Security after the business manager presented bid results and the committee discussed procurement options.

Business manager Cara Cosmos told the committee the district solicited vendors from the state bid list and received two quotes; Jet Security submitted the lowest responsible bid at $28 per hour for regular hours and $42 per hour for holiday work, a 3.75% increase from the current rate. Cosmos said the two‑year contract has an estimated value of $540,400 and that roughly 20% of the fee is covered by night‑school revenue.

"Jet provided the lowest responsible bid with an hourly rate of $28 for regular hourly work, $42 for holiday work," Cosmos said. She recommended committee approval of the renewal.

During discussion, a committee member asked whether the district should run a broader RFP beyond the state bid list to ensure the best value for a contract of this size. "I'd like to see it go out to bid beyond the state bid list," the member said, noting the district could probably obtain lower hourly rates with a wider solicitation.

Chair called the roll for the motion to approve the Jet Security contract; the motion passed on the committee's roll‑call vote as recorded by the committee clerk.

The committee did not direct immediate changes to procurement policy; one member stated the desire to pursue a comprehensive RFP for the next contract cycle to ensure competitive pricing.

The contract approval authorizes staff to finalize the two‑year agreement with Jet Security; the committee did not specify further implementation steps during the meeting.