Town Bypasses Bidding for Fire Station Projects

Chief Chris Silver will have the authority to negotiate with an architect for the fire station improvement and replacement project without going through the customary sealed bidding process thanks to a selectmen vote.

The board voted 3-2 Monday on the basis that allowing Silver to bypass a competitive bid process and enter negotiations with a yet-to-be-finalized architecture firm would accelerate two projects that officials want to begin as soon as possible.

Silver said Monday he wishes to work with Goudreau and Associates, the firm that came in as the lowest bidder during the last fire station bidding process a few years ago, as he said they have already done a lot of work on the project and because he feels he can negotiate a competitive price with them.

"I’d hate to lose time, particularly as we move into the summer," said Silver. "I'm not asking you to blindly approve a contract — just to waive the bidding process so I can begin negotiating."

The affirmative motion, which was passed by selectmen Rick Griffin, Ben Moore and Phil Bean, gives Silver the authority to negotiate a deal up to $370,000, but didn't stipulate who Silver had to choose.

Moore said it's "time to get these projects going," although he said he didn't name Goudreau and Associates in his motion because it allows Silver to choose any architect he desires and emphasizes the fact that selectmen are interested in a fair price for the contract.

Selectmen Dick Nichols and Mike Pierce objected to waiving the bidding process because each said they feel companies offer better pricing when they know they have to compete with other firms.

"I just believe that primarily because of the amount, I believe it’s a bad practice to avoid competitive bids," said Nichols, stating he supports the project but is against Monday's motion "in principle."

Pierce said he fears bypassing the bidding process could set "a very bad precedent."

"I think in fairness to the taxpayers and trying be open as much as we possibly can, with the amount of money we'll be spending the next couple of years… I find it very hard to not follow the bidding process," he said.

Moore said waiving the bidding process doesn't stop the process from being "transparent," and said the issuance of the contract itself will still "go through the public eye," as will the process to hire a construction manager and other on-site experts.

Silver said he was confident he'll be able to negotiate a price with Goudreau and Associates that would have come in among as one of the lowest bids had selectmen not waived the bidding process.

Silver cited numbers for several area fire station construction projects to support that belief, indicating that Goudreau and Associates has done this work before for less than competitors performing comparable projects on the Seacoast area.

Had selectmen not waived the bidding process, Silver said it would've pushed back the project's timeline by at least 45 days. Silver said not going with Goudreau and Associates could also delay the project, as a new firm would have to redo some of the proprietary documents already completed by Goudreau and Associates.