Council calls for increased transparency in King County procurement process

April 20, 2009

Summary

Identifying areas that increase information available

Story

The King County Council today unanimously approved a motion affirming the County’s commitment to a fair and open procurement process and calling on the Executive to find ways to increase the transparency of procurement decisions.

“King County used to award contracts on a straight price basis, but has since adopted a more nuanced procurement system to ensure taxpayers realize the greatest overall value from each contract. Unfortunately, this point system makes it harder for observers—including the bidders themselves—to determine exactly why a contract was awarded to a specific bidder,” said Council Chair Dow Constantine, sponsor of the motion. “Bidders, and the public, should be able to easily understand why a particular bid was chosen.”


The motion calls for the King County Executive to review county code and procurement procedures and to identify actions that would make the process more transparent. The Executive will submit a report and proposed legislation, if appropriate, to the Council by July 17.


Read the motion