Council delays towing contract decision after bidders and residents raise transparency concerns

The Ypsilanti City Council on July 21 stopped short of awarding a new city towing contract and instead directed the city manager and city attorney to pursue a short-term extension with the current vendor while the procurement is reviewed. The action followed public comments from competing bidders who said the RFP omitted required scoring documentation and other details needed to verify the recommended award.

Tom Stidham, speaking as a reviewer for one bidder, told the council he believes “this RFP... violated of some of 1 specific provision of the state law... to require a certain inventory disclosure under state law” and asked council to amend the RFP, consult counsel, and re-score proposals if necessary. AJ Verha of Nationwide Towing said his bid was substantially lower and asked to see the scoring sheet and distance calculations, arguing the recommendation relied too heavily on proximity without accurate verification.

Council members voiced concern about both resident service impacts and procurement risk. Several council members said they did not want the city to be without towing coverage when the current contract expires and voted to ask staff to seek a temporary extension from the incumbent while the RFP and evaluation materials are reviewed; if deficiencies are found council instructed staff to consider rebidding. The council did not adopt the award that night but carried a motion to review and ensure compliance with city procurement rules before final action.

The council's direction preserves continuity of service while giving the city time to answer questions raised publicly about scoring sheets, bidder eligibility, and location/proximity claims. Staff told council they will report back with findings and recommend next steps.