| Norwalk goes out of city to mend municipal vehicles City employees will need to drive further and pay more for paint and body work for municipal vehicles for the next three years, but have no choice legally or ethically based on bidding rules. Parker said because the bids were sealed when received, there was no way they could be reviewed and Troy and Bob failed to submit documents that were apparently left out by mistake. Danny's was the second lowest bidder. Rodarte asked Egan to come back with ways to help prospective bidders understand the needs better. James Parker, director of transportation, said Troy and Bob's Autoworks, located in Norwalk, was the very lowest of three bidders on hourly rates for various painting and repair tasks. "It gets me that staff will have to drive further for work on small and medium vehicles. We have to abide by the rules set down in the pre-bid counseling. Assistant City Attorney Chris Diaz said the council had the authority to reject all proposals and seek new bids, but City Manager Mike Egan said to do so because the bidder you want to win did not was treading on legally risky ground. He noted that all prospective bidders meet with the city to go over the requirements, but acknowledged that smaller firms might be at a disadvantage and lack the staff or administrative skills to make a proper bid. "When you go out for bids, everybody should have a fair shot at winning," Egan said. Councilman Marcel Rodarte dissented, saying he was voting no for philosophical reasons after being informed that the low bidder, the only one in Norwalk, did not submit all of the necessary documents. Vice Mayor Luigi Vernola, whose Norwalk garage does bumper and paint work along with towing, said bid rules are listed when a city sends out requests for proposals. It was noted that all three bidders, the third one being Whittier Collision, Inc. Egan said two possibilities are a more intense pre-bid session or pre-qualification of firms before they submit a bid, usually done with larger contracts. |
Friday, 18 May 2012
Norwalk goes out of city to mend municipal vehicles
