Dunwoody has decided to reopen, and combine, two municipal services contracts, after the losing contractor disputed the award to another company.
Lowe Engineers said it believes it should have been awarded contracts for public works and parks and recreation, which it currently handles for the city, but Clark Patterson Lee was recommended so Dunwoody could get a discount on multiple services, according to public records.
On Tuesday, the city announced it will reopen the request for proposal for a combined public works and parks and recreation contract.
City Manager Warren Hutmacher said the city reopened the request for proposal so there is no perception of an unfair process.
“The cleanest and fairest thing to do, given there was a technical problem, was to throw out all of the bids and start over,” he said Wednesday. Reopening the process will not cost the city any additional money, he said.
Representatives from Atlanta-based Lowe declined to comment Wednesday.
Kevin McOmber, a senior vice president with Rochester, N.Y.- based Clark Patterson Lee, said he expects the firm will review the new request for proposal to determine whether it wants to submit a new bid. He said opening the process is “the right thing to do.”
Late last month, city officials awarded government service contracts, which begin Jan. 1, to JAT and Calvin, Giordano & Associates for finance and administration, InterDev for information technology, Jacobs for public relations and marketing services and Clark Patterson Lee for planning and zoning, and permits/inspections and code compliance. The firms that were recommended to receive contracts got the highest ratings by the selection committee -- except in the areas of public works and parks and recreation, where Lowe was rated as the highest, followed by Clark Patterson Lee.
According to a memo prepared for the mayor and City Council, the selection committee recommended Clark Patterson Lee because a multiservice discount would allow the city to save about $1 million over four years.
Depending on the final proposals, the city still could save more than $2 million on the current contracts.
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