Friday, December 6, 2002
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Friday, December 6, 2002 |
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Local engineer sues Jones Co. Commission over bid process By JOHN MUNFORD
An engineering company owned by a Peachtree City man is suing the Jones County Board of Commissioners for failing to award him a bid for a project where his company was the lowest bidder. Melvin Ewing of Ewing Engineering Company claims the commission should have awarded the bid to him since he met all the qualifications set forth in the county's advertisement. Instead, the county awarded the project to Widner & Associates of Macon even though that company failed to comply with all the bid's criteria, the suit states. The project involves the design, engineering and construction supervision for the parking area and front entrance area at the Jones County Community Center in Gray. Ewing's bid was $9,480, which was $690 less than the bid from Widner & Associates. While three of the six bids were in the $9,000 to $13,000 range, three others came in at over $30,000. According to commission documents, Widner & Associates was recommended for the project for its "experience and expertise" and the employee who will conduct the work is a Jones County resident. But in the suit Ewing argues that none of the firms' references were checked before the bid was awarded by the county commission. Ewing also alleges that Widner & Associates failed to provide three references which was a requirement listed in the public notice that was published in the local newspaper. After Ewing complained about the bid process, county administrator Clay Washburn wrote him a letter explaining how the bid proposals were considered before the commission voted on them. Washburn said he and commissioner J. Al Andrews, who is part of a mechanical engineer firm, reviewed the six proposals and forwarded their recommendation to the committee. "We advertise for proposals and try to select the most qualified firm for the project," Washburn said in the letter. "The commissioners always reserve the right to accept or reject any or all proposals as they do with all bids. ... Our intention is to get the most qualified firm or individual to do our project the way we want it done and at a reasonable cost."
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