Residents and council debate bidding platforms and procurement transparency

Multiple speakers at Livonia's study session raised concerns about the city's procurement outreach and the online bidding platforms the city uses.

Steve King asked council to provide "side by side price comparisons" showing Mitton/Minton posted bids versus traditional local notice, how many vendors responded to Mitton postings and whether fees or platform barriers discourage local bidders. Councilmember McCullough described Mitton as a widely used posting platform that can increase bidder turnout but distinguished it from cooperative purchasing agreements ("my deals"), which are cooperative purchasing agreements that can be used for some purchases.

Council discussed the differences between posting platforms and cooperative purchasing and said staff would provide context to councilors. No formal procurement policy change was proposed at the study session; multiple consent items that are routine purchases were previewed for the Feb. 9 regular meeting.

Next steps: council asked staff to be prepared to explain procurement channels and bidder response data when those items return on the consent agenda.