Committee debates whether prior work with Punta Gorda should receive scoring weight

Committee members raised concerns about whether prior work with Punta Gorda City should be scored as experience that gives a bidder an advantage. One member warned against giving automatic weighting to firms that had worked with the city before, saying other firms could have equivalent experience elsewhere. The discussion focused on ensuring independence and fairness rather than explicitly rewarding incumbency.

The committee agreed the RFQ should retain an independence statement (to ensure bidders are free from conflicts), but it balked at language that would give preference simply for previous local work. Staff and members concluded the independence requirement should remain and the RFQ should ask whether firms have worked with the city before, but it should not be written as an automatic scoring preference.