Mount Vernon official outlines plan for pre‑qualified contractor list and master services agreement

Commissioner Nolovich presented a proposal to establish a pre‑qualified list of professional and construction firms and to enter into master services agreements that would be followed by narrowly scoped, project‑specific task orders. "I respectfully request this honorable body to allow this city to be prepared for any grant time frame or capital improvement with three things of forethought. One, protection of proper procurement. Two, fiscal responsibility and three governmental oversight," Commissioner Nolovich said.

Nolovich said the approach aims to prevent overreliance on a single consultant, preserve a design‑build firewall, and keep final delegated authority limited to what is expressly written in MSAs and task orders. He tied the timing to external compliance demands, citing recent regulatory reviews and the city's consent‑order obligations: "we're up against the time frame with ... DEEC consent order ... DOJ and EPA consent decree," he said. Council members agreed to continue conversations and to send the item back for revisions before formal agenda action.