City Council to vote on policy about project bids

An East Lansing purchasing policy favoring local business soon could be enacted if the City Council votes to approve the policy at its 7:30 p.m. meeting today at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road.

The policy would apply to businesses that submit formal bids for projects in the city, such as general contractors for city projects, Finance Director Mary Haskell said. Local and regional businesses would be able to rebid on a project they already bid on if they fall within a certain percentage of the lowest bid.

For local businesses, their original bid would need to be within 7.5 percent of the lowest bid and regional businesses would need to be within 5 percent.

The council previously discussed the policy at its Sept. 15 meeting and council members expressed concerns about policy’s wording. Haskell said it since has been changed to make the policy more clear.

“I added clarifying language … (explaining) that professional services are to be exempt from the preferences,” Haskell wrote in an e-mail.

Councilmember Nathan Triplett said the changes to the original policy made people more comfortable with the policy as a whole.

Although local businesses would be able to rebid, the quality and price of the product or work would need to be equal to competing nonregional businesses bidding for the project as well, Triplett said.

Triplett said he hopes this will stimulate the local economy.

“I think especially in times that are economically challenging for our residents and local businesses, we need to do everything in our power to support local businesses,” he said.

“We have to go out for a number of contracts and we have to make choices where we spend our dollars.”

Also on the agenda is a resolution to change parking in the Ann Street Plaza, located north of Albert Avenue and west of M.A.C Avenue. The change would include removing meters in the lot and installing a pay station there instead, Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen said. Sneathen said the parking will change to a pay-by-space parking system, similar to the one installed in the Dublin Square Irish Pub & Restaurant parking lot, 327 Abbot Road.

“It’s a way to regulate parking better,” he said.

Other changes in the amendment would prohibit parking in the lot from 3-6 a.m.