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Bidders' differing specs and a post-bid warranty email complicate truck comparison
Summary
Tinmouth officials and vendor representatives disputed which features were part of each bid (heated windshield, airbags, brakes) and noted that a vendor sent updated warranty figures after the bid packet, complicating apples-to-apples comparison.
Board members and vendor representatives spent multiple segments reconciling whether low bids included optional extras or whether one vendor’s equipment put its bid 'above spec.' Participants repeatedly parsed line-item adjustments: springs, heated windshield, heated mirrors, airbags and LED headlights were singled out as items removed by one vendor to lower a quoted price.
A vendor representative said he had proactively bid disc brakes while noting 'I noticed everybody else still did drums... That's why again I'm not asking to change.' The group also flagged changed warranty information: one participant noted that a warranty figure on the paper sent that day was higher than the number on the original bid sheet. The board recorded that warranty numbers in the emailed quote differed from the initial packet, and members requested confirmation of the final warranty coverage before locking a purchase.
The meeting also highlighted mandatory equipment differences: one vendor insisted on a $1,900 hitch ('the candy cane') as part of the sale while others did not. The selectboard emphasized checking each vendor’s final quote and trade-in assumptions to ensure a fair comparison before finalizing the procurement.
