By Vince Conti
Nov 9, 2019
COURT HOUSE – Long ordinance drafts filled with legal language and dealing with issues of contract performance do not generally gain the attention of many citizens, even though they may provide important protections for the taxpayer.
That was the case Nov. 4, when Middle Township Committee held the second reading and public hearing on an ordinance that establishes “responsible bidder” requirements for municipal contracts. No one spoke at the hearing, and the ordinance was adopted unanimously.
The bidder requirements protect the municipality from situations where it might have been required to accept a low bid on a contact from a firm that could not satisfactorily complete the contract.
The ordinance lays out bidder requirements that speak to a potential contractor’s compliance with federal, state, and county laws, adequate insurance coverage, satisfactory past performance, a record of conformity with environmental and other laws, skilled workforce levels, and other factors.
Having the ordinance in place lessens the chance that a municipal action to justifiably bypass a low bid would be overturned in court.