EDITORIAL: Arriving at the best bid

When it comes to bidding out local government contracts and purchases, there are quite a few factors to consider.

As stewards of taxpayer money, local officials are obligated to get their constituents the best deal they can, whether they’re buying a car or signing a paving contract. Every local tax dollar these elected and appointed officials spend comes from people who are expecting their representatives and those working for local government to be thoughtful and deliberate in stretching those dollars to meet as many needs a possible.

That is what the bidding process does. It allows a local government agency to seek out goods and services from a number of sources. Each vendor, realizing there is competition for the contract or sale, tries to position itself to win the bid while also making some profit. After all, a business that doesn’t make money doesn’t stay in business long.

In general, the bidding process means taking the lowest qualified bid. But as with every rule, there are exceptions. Sometimes the lowest bid isn’t necessarily the best bid.

Case in point was the situation Monday with the Dougherty County Commission. A local car dealership’s bid was second-lowest to a bid from a Smyrna dealership. The difference on the two vehicles that combined were more than $56,500?

Less than $8.

What happened was an example of common sense prevailing. Although county staff — as it should have — recommended the lowest bid be accepted, commissioners — who made the decision — unanimously decided to buy the vehicles locally.

What that did was keep money inside Dougherty County. Did it cost taxpayers a few extra bucks? Slightly, but the benefits of keeping those dollars inside the county far outweighed that small amount.

The bigger question would be whether awarding a bid like this discourages competitive bidding. Certainly, it can. No business from out of town is likely to bid if the bidder believes he or she won’t get a fair shot at winning the business.

What would seem to be an equitable solution would be to have a policy that spells out the point at which Dougherty County officials will give preference to a local vendor. Where that line should be drawn is something that first needs to be thoroughly researched, as Lee County commissioners are doing now. A case in which $8 separate two bids that are in the tens of thousands of dollars is a no-brainer in favor of a local company, but what if it were $108, $508, $1,008?

Businesses, whether local or out of town, like clear rules. There needs to be clear guidelines so that the county does continue to get competitive bids that result in best prices for taxpayers.

— The Albany Herald Editorial Board