Sometimes it pays to take your case to court – Fiscal Court, that is.
At its Tuesday, Feb 2, meeting, Boone County Fiscal Court members were asked to select a vendor for garbage collection on county owned properties.
County staff recommended Rumpke for the contract because it submitted the lowest bid and was qualified to perform the service. The difference between Rumpke and the next-lowest bidder, Best Way Disposal, was $375 for one year of service.
Rumpke submitted a bid of $20,195 compared to the $20,570 for Best Way, a Boone County-based company.
Best Way Disposal has been providing the service for more than two years, since it acquired front load and residential contracts from Bavarian Waste Services.
Katie Raverty Evans, government affairs manager for Best Way Disposal, asked to speak to the Fiscal Court and explain why, in this case, the lowest bid may not provide the most benefits for the county.
Best Way built a facility on Production Drive in Boone County in 2010 and started out with six trucks and 10 employees. It now has 65 trucks and employs 85 people, 25 percent of which are Boone County residents.
In addition to its government contracts, Best Way also services 25,000 residential customers, about 38 percent of which live in Boone County.
“We love Boone County and love serving the residents,” Raverty Evans said.
A key portion of the bid included customer service and explaining how the vendor that was selected could benefit the county.
“There is a couple of things that we do that we think is a little bit special and proves our partnership and our commitment to the county,” Raverty Evans said. “We are very active in the Boone County fair and the Boone County Touch-a-Truck. Any time we can get out there to the residents, talking to the kids (and) new customers in the area, we take advantage of that.”
Raverty Evans also pointed out that Boone County has a recycling center that has turned what was once an expense into a profitable endeavor.
“BestWay disposal is committed to bringing all of the residential recycling we collect and taking it to your facility,” Raverty Evans said. “That is between two and three tons per week. We are committed to bring in other recyclables, if possible, from our other city contracts.”
County officials confirmed that Rumpke does not contribute in its recycling program.
“We have the right as a court to say, ‘hey does this company offer $375 more worth of services to us and involvement with the community?’ I’ve looked over and kind of looked into what Best Way does in our community and I believe it is very much worth the…difference,” Boone County Commissioner Charlie Walton.
Best Way also partners with the county’s solid waste coordinators and Raverty Evans attends quarterly meetings throughout the state to share ideas with other industry professionals.
“I go down to see what is happening in the state and see what’s happening with other solid waste coordinators,” Raverty Evans said “(The goal is) to see if there are any opportunities to bring back new programs and implement them together, or provide feedback, since we have over 30 years of experience in the business.”
Raverty Evans asked the fiscal court members to look beyond the difference in the contracts to what she believes is in the best interests of the county and its residents.
While the bid process is a valuable tool, the county is not obligated to accept the lowest-priced proposal among qualified bidders,
Boone County Commissioner Charlie Walton said the low bid is a great starting point when considering which proposal to accept.
“We also have the opportunity to look at quality of service,” Walton said. “Not only quality, we have the opportunity to look at involvement within the area that services are offered.”
Walton added that if the difference in the contracts were more significant, the decision might be more difficult.
“We have the right as a court to say, ‘hey does this company offer $375 more worth of services to us and involvement with the community?’” Walton said. I’ve looked over and kind of looked into what Best Way does in our community and I believe it is very much worth the…difference. I plan to make a recommendation to recommend Best Way over Rumpke.”
Boone County Judge-executive Gary Moore said Best Way does not collect a fee for the recycling it brings in and that revenue more than offsets the difference in bids.
“I think everything we are talking about, the educational component, the communication…that they have 85 workers at the facility and they are paying our payrollt tax, I think it’s a good recommendation,” Moore said.
Commissioners Charles Kenner and Cathy Flaig agreed and the Fiscal Court voted 4-0 to award the contract to Best Way Disposal.
The Fiscal Court also voted unanimously to award the contract for other disposal services, including spring/fall cleanups and special events, to Bavarian as the lowest bidder for that service.
This looks like a win-win for Boone County. Bidding aside, since Best Way has moved into Burlington I’ve been impressed with their cleanliness and their operation. It’s always great to see a business move into the area and it says even more about them when they continue to have a positive impact for businesses and the community.