City Council invited local automobile dealers to bid either 2010 or 2011 models.
Action came on an unopposed vote during the Council’s 4 p.m. voting session after Assistant City Manager Melinda Carroll, who doubles as purchasing agent, reported her office received only one sealed bid in the city’s latest attempt to buy the pair of vehicles.
Freeland Chevrolet of Antioch, a south Nashville suburb, submitted two bids on a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse — one for $31,027 per vehicle, and a second for $31,471 per vehicle that features tire and wheel upgrades. Staff recommended rejecting the bids because the Traverse is considered a full-sized SUV, not a mid-sized as specified, and the $62,000-plus cost for the pair exceeds the $35,000 budget allotment.
Now that open bidding has failed twice, Carroll suggested using state contract pricing, a method in which state agencies like the Tennessee Department of Transportation allow local governments to “piggy-back” onto existing state bids for competitive pricing, especially when local vendors are not submitting sealed bids.
In response to questions by Councilmen David May and Richard Banks, Carroll said she believes local dealers are not bidding on this package because they are transitioning between 2010 and 2011 models, and don’t have good selections that can be competitively priced.
May said municipal government should be doing business with local vendors whenever possible. In the case of the SUVs, Carroll said staff has actively recruited Cleveland dealers. She said this has been done using all available methods just short of visiting the dealerships in person. As an example, she said Tony Cissom, sales manager at Kile Dodge, told her he is unable to bid on these specs because of product availability. Cissom earlier this year had criticized city bidding practices for using brand-specific features in bid specifications that prevent Dodge products from being priced.
“I was hoping some of our local vendors would have some end-of-year models,” May said. He asked if the bid package could be delayed about a month to give local dealers the chance to stock their lots with 2011 models.
City Manager Janice Casteel said a 30-day delay will not be disruptive because the vehicles scheduled to be replaced are still in service and are running. Once city vehicles are taken out of service by one department, they are often handed down to another department that can still make use of them. Carroll had said in previous interviews with the Cleveland Daily Banner that the city tries to recycle aging vehicles as many times as possible between departments.
May urged staff, and his fellow Council members, to consider re-bidding the package on a one-month delay.
“If we do this, then we’re showing that the city is willing to go the extra mile to work with local dealers,” May said.
The item was removed from the Council’s Consent Agenda and given its own vote under New Business & Ordinances for the 4 p.m. session. At that gathering, Council members voted without opposition to reject the latest bids by Freeland Chevrolet and to re-bid the package in late August.
