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Council waives bidding for festival beer purchase; staff cites $45,000 in sponsorships and $135,000 projected purchase
Summary
Council approved a resolution waiving competitive bidding to purchase Guinness and Coors Light (through Superior Beverage) for the 2026 Dublin Irish Festival; staff said sponsors contribute $45,000 and the expected product purchase is about $135,000, approved in the 2026 operating budget.
City staff asked the council to waive competitive bidding (Resolution 21‑26) for beer purchases needed for the 2026 Dublin Irish Festival, citing that Superior Beverage Company is the sole distributor for Guinness and Coors Light. Lisonbee Leroy told the council that Diageo (Guinness) and Molson Coors (Coors Light) are festival beer sponsors contributing a total of $45,000 and that the expected purchase for festival inventory is about $135,000 — an amount already approved in the 2026 operating budget.
Lisonbee explained staff views a waiver as practical because the sole‑distributor arrangement makes a competitive bid impractical. No public comment was offered and council approved the resolution by roll call. Staff said the waiver would allow procurement to proceed under the approved budget and the festival operations team will continue vendor coordination and required oversight.
Council did not amend the request; staff noted existing training protocols for servers and police involvement in festival alcohol training.
