The Westport Board of Education purchasing policies have again come under criticism this time by a committee of the town’s legislative body.
The board discussed revisions to its policies Wednesday night and heard a plea from a member of the Finance Committee of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) that the policies include seeking three written quotations even if a state bid list is used.
The committee had made such a recommendation eight months ago as controversy swirled around a change in vendors for copiers for the schools and how the new vendor was selected.
The town’s policy provides that if the state contract bid list is the sole bidding source, then written price quotations shall be obtained from three vendors on the bid list.
But the draft proposal presented to the Board of Education for action did not include a provision for seeking written quotations, only that vendors be among those on a state-approved list.
The matter takes on more significance since the Town Charter provides that the town’s finance director, Don Miklus, establish town purchasing standards, subject to approval of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education on an annual basis.
Alice Shelton, the RTM Deputy Moderator and a member of its Finance Committee, addressed the board Wednesday night and said she was speaking on behalf of the committee’s chair, John Booth.
In her remarks, she referred to the fact that two members of the board Republican Lewis Brey and Democrat Mark Mathias ֖ were not on the board last April 30 when the RTM committee made a series of recommendations to the educators.
She also said that others on the board may have forgotten the committee’s recommendations.
“In our report on the 2003-2004 Education Budget, the RTM Finance Committee recommended ‘that the Board of Education give strong consideration to amending their policy such that large purchases should be subject to formal bid procedures or should be documented with three written price quotations even if the purchase is made utilizing the state’s purchasing contract,’֔ Shelton said.
“Personally, I believe that the RTM Finance Committees request is a reasonable one,” she said. “The issue is not legality; rather, the issue is fiscal prudence.”
She added: “I donҒt believe it to be an onerous task to request three price quotes especially in those instances where there are multiple vendors listed in purchasing collaborative lists available to the Board of Education.”
“On behalf of RTM Finance Committee Chair John Booth, I respectfully request that the Board of Education give careful consideration to all recommendations from the RTM Finance Committee, including the aforementioned recommendation,” Shelton said.
Shelton said today that Schools Supt. Elliott Landon responded to her remarks by saying he had considered the committee suggestion that three written price quotes be obtained but that he had rejected it.
She said the board agreed to put off a decision on the new purchasing policies so they could move on to the next agenda item, the superintendent’s proposed budget.
Board members will meet with the committee later this month to discuss the purchasing policy recommendation and others.
Editor’s Note: The editor of WestportNow also serves as Moderator of the RTM.
