Columbia council approves RFP to sell McGinnis property; pre-bid meeting set for April

Columbia Borough Council on Feb. 10 approved a request for proposals to sell the McGinnis property, setting a release date of March 30 and a proposal deadline of May 15.

Heather, identified by the manager as the project architect, walked council through the RFP’s schedule and evaluation criteria and said the borough will hold a mandatory pre-bid meeting on April 8. She and staff told council there will be a short, defined question period after the pre-bid meeting so all bidders receive the same answers.

Councilors asked for three changes before voting: add the borough manager’s email contact to the RFP posting, clarify that the pre-bid meeting is mandatory, and tighten the minimum-bid language. Council members also noted the RFP’s scoring rubric heavily discounts proposals that do not comply with current zoning; members said that would likely give noncompliant proposals a very low score under the stated criteria.

A councilor said the borough intends to issue a press release before the 45-day posting window so potential bidders become aware of the opportunity early. Staff confirmed state law limits the initial posting window to 45 days, with the option to reissue the RFP after the first window expires.

Councilman Cooper moved to approve the RFP with the suggested edits; Councilman Byers seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote. Council directed staff to post the RFP with the clarified language and to proceed with the mandatory pre-bid meeting on April 8.

Next steps: staff will publish the RFP on the announced release date, host the mandatory pre-bid meeting, accept written questions during the stated window, and return to council if any changes require further approval.