Low Bid: is it really the best choice

The winning bidder to upgrade the Vernon C. Russell Water Treatment Plant, on the shore of Middleton Pond, came from Waterline Industries of Seabrook, N.H., Town Manager Wayne Marquis said.

The bid was well below what the town expected.

"It is about $1.7 million less than what we estimated," Marquis said. "That will be a savings for our ratepayers."

Waterline Industries is a company the town has worked with in the past.

Four bids were opened July 14, and notification of the winning bidder took place last week. The four bids ranged from $17.77 million, the one from Waterline Industries, to $19.42 million, Marquis said. The two middle bids came in at $18.6 million.

    Hold the Phone.........when the government, any government, says it is going to save me money, I cringe.  Why is the lowest bid always the best?  The track record of the lowest bidder even completing a job is abysmal.    

  We have a bridge in town that has been under rehab for THREE years and now we find out that all work was done wrong and will have to be started again, (different contractor) from scratch.  And the high schools, we build a new one and within several years the roof is leaking or heating system is faulty.  Voters are then asked to go for a special election to over-ride tax base and borrow more money for repairs.

   Those of you who follow know my company has been in business for over 65years. We have given many bids only to loose out to the lowest bidder who then comes back with a list of 'extras' to be added on to the job before completion.

   Let's be fair, if a government official, or anyone for that matter, is in need of an operation, is he automatically going to choose the doctor who got an A and with the best credentials and success record or pick the one who passed with a D and works part time?