Public Contracting News from Across the Country

Feds seek authority to charge for bid protests:  The federal Government Accountability Office is seeking congressional authority to charge a fee for bidders to file bid protests on federal contracts.  The authority is included in legislation recently considered by a House Appropriations subcommittee.  Click here for more information.  Click here for an article discussing the impact on small businesses of a filing fee.

County to consider more than price in awards:  Madison County, New York is considering legislation that would enable them to consider the cost of maintenance, durability, quality, and product life in addition to cost when making awards.  A hearing is scheduled for August 13, 2013.  Last week, the County's Board of Supervisors also made changes to increase bid limit thresholds by providing department heads with more discretion on awarding contracts without competition.  Click here for more information.

Boat repair done without bidding:  The director of emergency management for Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts ordered $26,100 in repairs to the town's fire and police rescue boat without seeking any competitive bids as required by state law.  Elected officials did not view the repair work as an emergency.  In addition to skirting bidding regulations, the director, who is up for reappointment to another three year term this month, lacked any budget for the repairs.  Click here for more information.

Mike Purdy's Public Contracting Blog 
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