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Waco ISD trustees approve South Waco reroof contract after debate over bid scoring
Summary
Trustees approved consent item 7d to proceed with a reroof project in South Waco despite objections from some members who argued the district's scoring rubric disadvantaged a lower local bidder; administration defended the competitive sealed proposal process and said price was weighted 40% among 17 bids.
The Waco Independent School District Board of Trustees approved consent item 7d to proceed with the South Waco reroof project after trustees debated procurement scoring and bidder selection.
Trustee Bledsoe asked why the district planned to move forward with the second‑ranked proposer at roughly a $141,000 higher price than the low bidder, saying, “I do believe the company that actually had the lowest bid is a qualified bidder and could do the job.” District procurement staff (staff member) replied that the district used a competitive sealed proposal that evaluates price and nonprice factors and reported 17 bids. “Competitive sealed proposal lets us evaluate price and other, non‑price criteria, like their performance for Waco ISD, their experience with similar clients, their safety record,” the staff member said, adding that the top‑ranked firm had prior work on Tennyson and Carver and that price carried a 40% weighting in the evaluation.
Trustees raised several policy and equity questions during the exchange, including whether prior work for the district gives some vendors an advantage and whether changing the rubric now would delay a time‑sensitive two‑month project. The board ultimately voted to approve the consent item; the transcript records that the motion passed, though the roll‑call record in the transcript includes conflicting shorthand counts and the final detailed tally is not clearly transcribed. The administration said it will first attempt to negotiate price with the top‑ranked firm and, if negotiations fail, move to the next ranked proposer.
The action affects bond‑funded roof work the district plans to pay from excess bond funds and follows staff guidance that on short schedules the district places value on prior performance and demonstrated ability to finish within a tight window.
