In-Depth Look at the City's Bid Process
One of the greatest advantages to incorporating as a municipality has been the autonomy to spend our tax dollars locally and for the full benefit of the citizens, true local control. The City’s budget is the responsibility of the City Manager. Their number one role is to present and spend a balanced budget every fiscal year to the Mayor and Council for approval. Each department head creates and defends their budget requests with the guidance and the approval of the City Manager. Council has the ability to request certain projects or studies and some budget requests are guided by the Comprehensive Plan and various completed studies.
The funding of various projects is the first step for progress in the City. After the project and the budget have been approved there is a strict and tight timeline for the process to go from idea to contract to completion. The City Manager has the authority to approve projects without Council approval up to $30,000. If a project costs over $50,000 the bid process with the Procurement Department is triggered as a requirement. There are three main types of bid requests, Invitation to Bid (ITB), Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP). ITB and RFQ are more formal and utilized when the specs of the project are already laid out and clear. The request is looking for significant qualifications and fiduciary responsibility. If Federal funding is being used then the City is required to take the lowest bidder. With an RFP you can expect the project to be more complex and nuanced and the process may take longer to find and approve the contract winner.
The timeline for the bid process is driven by the estimated start date of the project and works backwards from there. For example, a project estimated to start in May of 2023 should have the bid request released starting in February. Development of a bid by staff members can take three to six months depending on the scale of the project so really the process could start as early as August of the previous year. The bids are advertised and requests are posted on the City of Tucker website, Georgia Procurement and Bidnet. These postings are free for the City and open to all.
The bid process is a little bit different for Public Works projects. All road projects must be advertised for two weeks in the legal organ, The Champion Newspaper, prior to bid release. Projects that are $100,000 or more must be advertised for at least four weeks with the requirement that all projects must have a four-week span between bid release and bid deadline.
Many ask if there is room for public input in the project and bid process. The answer is both yes and no. As stated earlier, projects are discussed and decided on during the budget approval process. The budget is required to be presented to the Mayor and Council twice before voting. The proposed budget is made public in the packet that is provided to the Mayor and Council the Wednesday before the scheduled meeting. The presentations are made during the regular scheduled public meetings where there is always public comment allowed. Once the project and funding are approved it is up to staff to shepherd the bid process and make sure the project is completed with the best work for the best price. However, the City of Tucker elected officials are always available to hear from their constituents, and their email addresses can be found on the City website.
All requests for bids are listed on tuckerga.gov, and each one has a dedicated page with an introduction, bid schedule and support documents. Approved, ongoing and completed plans and studies have dedicated pages as well as each SPLOST and capital improvement project. The City website is a treasure trove of transparency and information, and all are encouraged to make tuckerga.gov the first stop with any questions.
