Brockton School Committee approves six FY27 service contracts after questions on waste costs

The Brockton School Committee on June 30 unanimously approved six FY27 service contracts covering food-service equipment repair, fire protection, glass repair, waste disposal, generator maintenance and drain/grease-trap services.

The awards followed a staff presentation explaining that the solicitations included a mix of public invitations to bid, state-contract purchases and quotes. Jamie, the district procurement lead, told the committee the awards include one-year terms with option years, in several cases extending through June 2029 if options are exercised. John Foley was introduced as the district’s new procurement manager before the discussion began.

Committee members asked detailed questions about vendor responses, local-business outreach and the procurement process. On the waste-disposal contract, which committee members described in discussion as approaching roughly $1 million over the life of the contract, Miss Oliver pressed staff for clarity about what the price covered and whether the figure represented an annual cost. Jamie said the recommended award covers trash and recycling pickups across the district’s schools, including compactor service at the high school, and that waste collections and pricing have broadly increased. He also said the solicitation was advertised on the state procurement portal and local outlets and that the incumbent vendor, Capital Waste, had submitted a higher-priced response.

The committee moved through separate motions to award each contract. Roll-call votes recorded the same five members voting in the affirmative on each motion: Sandra Cento, Claudia Gomes, Oliver, Tony Rodriguez and Tim Sullivan. The approved awards named the recommended vendors in the meeting record: Johnson Controls for combined fire-protection services; Central Glass for glass repair and maintenance; Wind Waste Innovations for waste disposal services; City Generator for generator maintenance; and Drain Remedy for drain and grease-trap services. The food-service equipment repair contract (bid 2027001) was approved as a vendor award for district kitchens with authority up to $100,000 per year with option years.

Jamie told the committee the district conducts procurement according to Massachusetts municipal rules and Chapter 30B thresholds, noting different dollar thresholds determine whether a public bid is required. He said the procurement office tries to identify local vendors and MWBE or veteran‑owned firms when feasible, but that awards are determined by responsiveness and price under state rules.

The meeting concluded with the committee voting to enter executive session to discuss collective bargaining and litigation strategy and to complete an executive-session minutes review; the public meeting adjourned and did not return to open session.

What the committee approved

- Food-service equipment repair: Award approved (bid 2027001); up to $100,000 per year with two option years (through June 2029 if exercised). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Fire-protection RFQ: Award approved (bid 2027002) to Johnson Controls (up to $150,000 per year; one option year). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Glass repair and maintenance: Award approved (bid 2027003) to Central Glass (up to $50,000 per year; two option years). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Waste disposal services: Award approved (bid 2027004) to Wind Waste Innovations. Members raised concern about aggregate cost; transcripted line-item amounts in the meeting record were garbled and are not specified here. Vote: unanimous yes.
- Generator maintenance: Award approved (bid 2027005) to City Generator (up to $30,000 per year; option years). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Drain and grease traps: Award approved (bid 2027006) to Drain Remedy (up to $50,000 per year; two option years). Vote: unanimous yes.

Members’ concerns and next steps

Committee members asked staff to consider advertising solicitations earlier in the fiscal cycle to avoid last-minute approvals, and to continue outreach to local and MWBE vendors when practical. Staff said some solicitations previously received no responses and that the office is refining draft solicitations and outreach.

Because the committee voted to enter executive session immediately after the awards, no additional public-action items were taken at the meeting.