Council awards $114,240 chambers lighting contract, adopts procurement amendments to raise thresholds and exempt transportation

The Alaska Legislative Council on April 15 awarded RFP 681, a solicitation to modernize LED lighting and lighting controls in the House and Senate chambers, to Northland Powerline Constructors Incorporated, doing business as Chatham Electric, with a not‑to‑exceed contract value of $114,240 (proposal $108,800 plus a requested 5% contingency).

JC Kestel, procurement officer for the Legislative Affairs Agency, summarized the solicitation: RFP 681 was issued on Jan. 12, 2026, closed March 19 with two proposals, and was evaluated by a five‑member legislative evaluation committee that scored Chatham Electric highest (936.4 points) versus the other proposer (783.39 points). "RFP 6 81 closed on March 19 with 2 proposals received," Kestel said, and the procurement team recommended awarding the contract to Northland Powerline Constructors Inc., d/b/a Chatham Electric.

After brief discussion and staff responses to questions, Chair Hannan removed her objection and the council approved the award on a roll call, 11 yeas, 0 nays.

The council then considered three proposed amendments to the Alaska Legislative Procurement Procedures, all moved by Senator Giesel and explained by JC Kestel:

• Amendment 1 increases the small procurement threshold for the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee from $40,000 to $50,000 to align with the Legislative Council’s authority and reduce administrative burden; it passed 11–0.

• Amendment 2 adds language exempting transportation services from competitive solicitation where limited carrier availability (notably travel to and from Juneau) makes competition impractical; it passed 11–0.

• Amendment 3 expands allowable use of state cooperative contracts to include competitively procured contracts by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities in addition to Department of Administration contracts, reflecting a shift in statewide procurement responsibilities; it passed 11–0.

The council announced it had gone into executive session earlier to discuss RFP 681 and procurement procedures and listed staff and outside participants who were permitted to remain for confidential discussion. The awards and amendments proceed under existing legislative contract approval requirements; no changes to approval authorities were voiced on the record.