Sarasota News Leader

11/16/2012

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BUSINESS BUY-IN DESIRED Sarasota County Procurement Official Ted Coyman addresses the County Commission. File photo COUNTY COMMISSION SEEKS MORE INDUSTRY RESPONSE BEFORE MAKING FINAL DECISIONS ON HOW TO DETERMINE CRITERIA FOR AWARDING LOCAL PREFERENCE STATUS TO VENDORS By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor The Sarasota County commissioners took six unanimous votes Nov. 13 on guidelines for the county's revised Procurement Code to deter- mine how vendors can earn local preference status in seeking bid awards. Then uncertainty about how to proceed on the issue of subcon- tractors led them ultimately to put those votes on hold while they awaited more comments from area building and professional groups. The first sticking point on the subcontractor matter was Procurement Official Ted Coy- man's recommendation that a county employ- ee be responsible for making sure that any general contractor given local preference consideration in a winning bid on the basis of plans to use local subcontractors followed through on those plans after beginning work. "The idea of hiring people and training and staffing to police this is kind of not something I'm happy to get into," Commissioner Nora Patterson said, "unless we find it necessary." Commissioner Joe Barbetta reiterated a point he has made in the past: Without teeth in the revised code to ensure local subcontractors are used as vendors stipulate in contracts with the county, problems are going to arise. "And

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