After tie, council follows staff recommendation and awards alum contract to Veolia

City staff brought a tied bidding result for alum used in water treatment to the council because two vendors submitted equal unit prices. Staff recommended awarding the contract to Veolia based on past delivery and product-quality concerns associated with the other bidder. A vendor representative for HN USA Chemicals acknowledged prior problems, described supplier and production changes and offered operational improvements.

Staff noted that state procurement law normally calls for choosing the lowest responsible bidder and that past performance is a relevant factor for responsibility. Based on that history, staff recommended Veolia; council accepted the recommendation and awarded the alum contract to Veolia rather than drawing lots or forcing a random selection.