![]() ![]() This is left to the council’s discretion, and we would defend any decision you made,” Smith had said, adding: “State law requires that awards of contracts be awarded and given competitively and given on competition and not on favoritism and past successes.” “There’s some pretty significant exposure here if we don’t do that. He noted that the company won the bid three times based on criteria related both to price and other subjective factors. Eventually, Rod’s withdrew its bid, which eventually led the council to vote, 4-1, to select WCA.Īfter the council at the time reached an impasse over the third attempt to award the contract, then-City Attorney Scott Smith had warned the council of the “significant (legal) exposure” the city faced by not selecting WCA. In all three instances, WCA was the city’s recommended choice to the City Council, beating out the locally owned and operated Rod’s Tree Service, which had long been the city’s tree services provider. James’ proposal comes roughly two years after a council majority voted to award the city’s five-year tree services contract to the Anaheim-based company West Coast Arborist, ending a yearlong procurement process.Īt the council’s direction, the contract went to bid a total of three times, first as a three-year contract, then a five-year contract, before going out again, but under a revised policy that allowed the city to consider additional criteria and factors besides cost. The City Council, however, does have the discretion to reject all bids. Under the city’s policy related to the solicitation of competitive bids, a contract must be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder after the city receives proposals from companies competing for a service contract. “If they come within 10% of what I’ll call a foreign vendor, a vendor from outside of the city, that business should go to the local vendor.” “As local vendors apply for business within the city, I think local vendors should have at least a 10% break on contracts,” James said, referring to a company’s bid price. James’ motion at the council’s March 21 meeting, which was supported by Knoblock and Enmeier, asked for city staff to produce the report on giving preference to local businesses that participate in the city’s solicitation for contractors, or requests for proposals (RFP). “(Local businesses) get the value unless we determine for whatever reason (that) it’s not appropriate,” Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock reasoned, which Hall confirmed Should the council approve the ordinance in the coming weeks, the consideration on all bids from prospective local contractors would be at the city’s discretion, meaning the council can ignore the policy if it does not serve the city’s best interests in certain instances. However, businesses can receive a 3% discount from the city for supplies, equipment, materials, and services. While the advantages wouldn’t be as broad as Councilmember Gene James initially suggested when he first pitched the policy, the proposed Local Vendor Preference Ordinance would allow San Clemente businesses to bid 7% less on a contract.Ĭurrently, contract proposals from local businesses are not eligible to receive a Local Preference discount. “Not only that, we want to support our local businesses.”Ĭouncilmember Mark Enmeier was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. “In some respects, we want to make sure that the residents here in San Clemente have (the) first opportunities to serve their community,” he said. The City of San Clemente will soon develop an ordinance that would assist local small businesses in competing for public contracts with the city, per a unanimous, 4-0, City Council vote on Tuesday night, April 4.Ĭity Manager Andy Hall explained during his staff report on Tuesday night that the new code would help stimulate the local economy, both creating and keeping local jobs. Editor’s Note: This story has been updated from its initial version published on March 27 to include details from the council’s discussion on the proposed policy from Tuesday night, April 4. ![]()
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