Pacific Chamber Unhappy with City Bid Process

Chamber Is Unhappy With City’s Bid Process - The Missourian: Pacific News
Chamber Is Unhappy With City’s Bid Process
By Pauline Masson, Pacific Editor Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 6:32 pm
The Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce went on public notice, objecting to the city’s decision to meet privately with the three lowest bidders on the city hall expansion project, allowing them to change their bids — and for eventually selecting a contractor from out of town.
Bill McLaren, Chamber president, spoke at the Aug. 16 board of aldermen meeting, taking issue with the process used in selecting the contractor.
“I’m here speaking for the Chamber of Commerce,” he said. The board of directors discussed this, they voted and asked me to speak.”
McLaren noted the city has done a great job of hiring local contractors in the past on jobs such as Highway F and Highway OO, where Unnerstall Construction got the job. On Osage, Unnerstall also did part of the work. West Asphalt, the primary contractor, is located in Pacific.
“Their employees pay taxes here,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing, local contractors are working in Eagles View subdivision.”
But McLaren also noted that much local work is going undone. In West Lake subdivision, 350 lots sit empty. If they were sold, the assessed valuation of the city would be up.
“There were 25-30 houses demolished in the floodplain that pay no taxes now and there are vacancies on St. Louis Street,” he pointed out. “The situation is dire for construction people here.”
The $3.5 million contract to remodel and expand city hall was a chance to have a win for everyone, McLaren noted. It offered work for some smaller local contractors who don’t have the opportunity to bid in St. Louis, he said.
Chamber officials feel the city could have given seminars to help local contractors learn how to bid.
McLaren told officials that in addition to being Chamber of Commerce president he is a grading contractor who had been involved in many bids.
“If I bid on a job and see the low bidder does not get the contract, something is wrong,” he said.
McLaren said he’s never seen a job where contractors come back and start negotiating or where municipalities put rumors out and expect contractors to respond.
“This is not selling cars,” he said, reference to the mayor who sells cars for a living.
If the city intended to go back to the bidders, he said, all bids should have been thrown out.
“We struggle mightily,” McLaren said. “If you’re going to negotiate, you should negotiate with all the bidders.”
City Attorney Dan Vogel said it’s always the intention of the city to take the lowest three bidders and try to reduce the final cost.
“This was a process,” Vogel said. “All bidders knew that the top three bidders would be called in for further negotiation. We told everyone what we would do.”
“You, mayor, say buy local and you didn’t do it and you were the tie vote,” McLaren said. “This could have been done better.”
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