Last night was the August Arlington Village Board Meeting. I was unable to attend - but if anyone has updates, please let us know!
During a conversation with a resident that did attend the meeting, it reminded me of something I wanted to blog about for quite some time. How are Contractors who do the work in Arlington Village chosen? Is there a Request for Proposal (RFP) process? How are these evaluated and how are the companies that are asked to submit proposals chosen from the pool of prospects?
Why you ask is this important? Well, competition is at the heart of our democracy and leads to better rates, customer service and quality work. I have been hearing from residents that they have some complaints about the contractros who do work around the Village - and from the contractors who are recommended by the Village office. (Residents have complained to me about doors that were not properly installed, sloppy paint work, decks not up to top quality, etc).
I have also heard rumors that some of the contractors are related to each other - and workers in the office. Is this true? Its not that I don't think that people should be excluded because they are relatives but this should be discussed in the open and a consideration in the overall process for bids.
Something to think about as we move toward budget and contract season.
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2 comments:
I have heard the same thing. I think a couple of the contractors are related. And related to someone who works in the office.
After reading the notes from the previous post on what happened at the Board Meeting, I have to say I am surprised that we would keep contractors around that obviously aren't treating residents correctly. It seems like the office/Board can't draw the line between friendships and professionalism.
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