Not sure how often, but last year the city started using a bid service that the state already uses, Mercury Commerce. It’s pretty common practice for government agencies to use these services. As a print estimator I comb through them everyday all over the country.
The benefit is they can save entities a lot of money, and in some cases get a better product. The down side is the local bidder doesn’t always win, and if they do, whose to say they are not using an out-of-state subcontractor to get it done? (That was always my suspicion about the EC construction and why certain things surrounding it’s construction are a secret).
Some would argue that even if we are paying a little more to use a local contractor, the money is being put back into the local economy.
The latest kerfuffle with the city website came as no surprise to me. I think the bigger question here is using this bid service saving tax dollars? Or do city employees need to learn more and do more?