Council seeks to make procurement process more transparent

April 20, 2009

Summary

Council responds to complaints about awarding office supply contract to apparent high bidder

Story

In response to concern that King County’s procurement practices may not make the most efficient use of public tax dollars, the Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously approved a motion asking the Executive to review county procurement practices to increase transparency.

“The county must show citizens that we are making the most efficient use of their tax dollars,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, co-sponsor of the motion and member of the Council’s Government Accountability and Oversight Committee. “We should be awarding procurement contracts to the lowest bidder, and when we don’t, we must have a compelling and transparent process to show taxpayers why the higher bid provided a better value.”

King County recently awarded a contract for office supplies through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The successful bidder was Keeney’s Office Plus. Keeney’s proposal appeared to offer the highest price before the evaluation process began, but consideration was given to additional factors such as expertise and small business status.

The Council’s motion affirms King County’s long-standing commitment to conducting fair and open practices for procurement of goods and services. It also asks the Executive to make any recommendations for clarifications and changes to code or procurement practices in a report submitted to the Council by July 17, 2009.



Read the motion