Contractor tells council procurement mix-up left his firm as sole bidder on park project

During the public-comment period at the Jan. 8 Vinton City Council meeting, a local contractor identified as Max WH said his company was the only bidder on a parks project at Kan’s Park and urged the city to reexamine the procurement record.

Max said he provided documents to staff showing inconsistent messaging about whether the city advertised the work as a request for proposals or a request for quotation. He said his firm supplied helpful resources and completed the site visit and final numbers, and that he fears rebidding could be required if the procurement was mischaracterized. He told the council he had printed emails and asked staff to circulate them to council members and to follow up with staff members Chris and Scott.

Council members thanked Max for attending and said they would look into the correspondence; the mayor noted the council could not make an immediate decision on public comment but that staff would follow up. The record shows staff agreed to share the emails with council and to discuss the procurement procedures with the parks department.

No formal protest or appeal was filed on the meeting record; Max said he would continue to make himself available and that his firm wants to help the community on future projects.