Selectmen Reject Special Preference to Local Vendors

The Board of Selectmen will not go forward with a change to the town's purchasing policy that would have awarded bids to local vendors that came within 5 percent of their competitors. 

The majority of the board agreed on other changes to the policy this week.

According to Selectman Ross McLeod, the local vendor language is the equivalent of encouraging a 5 percent "market inefficiency."

The rest of the board members in attendance collectively disagreed with the set preference, as did Town Administrator Dave Sullivan.

Sullivan said that the language advocated that the town is willing to spend more money for the same product. He also noted that he wasn't sure if the language was really legal.

"I'm not an advocate of the 5 percent differential because it might get us into areas/issues that I think we don't want to go down," he said.

He noted that the other changes to the policy stemmed from a board meeting held at Searles School & Chapel where they discussed increasing efficiencies moving forward.

One policy revision notes that only purchases over $15,000 will require board approval.

Selectman Roger Hohenberger was against the change, which is a leap from the current $7,500 threshold.

"I see the power of the Selectmen being eroded," he said.

Agreeing with the change was Selectman Al Letizio Jr., who saw the increased threshold as a means of empowering the staff in Windham.

"There are some things that we can give to the capable staff that we have, and other things that we can't," he said. "I'd like to see us empower our team more."

A procurement committee including Transfer Station Manager Dave Poulson, Police Chief Gerald Lewis, Finance Director Dana Call, IT Director Erc DeLong and Highway Agent Jack McCartney has been reviewing the policy in recent months.

Poulson told the board that the goal with increasing the threshold was to increase a rapport with vendors, rather than send a nameless, faceless letter.

"Raising that ceiling gave the opportunity to get out there, get quotes, actually work with the vendor," he told the board.

Language in the policy will still encourage preference to local vendors, just without the 5 percent requirement. 

Any chosen bid under $15,000 that is not the low bid will go to Selectmen for review.