Enough safeguards appear to be in place to safely allow Hamilton County to raise — in fact, double — the amount of money for which public advertisement and sealed, competitive bids for purchases will be required.
A resolution raising the amount from $25,000 to $50,000 will be voted on by the Hamilton County Commission next week. It would, some commissioners and county officials believe, save money, cut red tape, speed up projects, allow smaller companies to competitively compete for bids, and put the county in line with other large cities and counties in the state.
If the bids for purchases between $20,000 and $50,000 were solely up to the purview of a procurement director, we would not endorse the change. But such purchases, according to the resolution, will require three written quotes, and all purchases between $25,000 and $50,000 would have to be reported monthly. The threshold for commission oversight on professional legal services would remain at $25,000.
A similar measure was voted down 7-4 by the commission in December.
If the resolution passes, we would hope any commissioner who worries over specific purchases between $20,000 and $50,000, or a pattern of purchases, would take time to study the monthly reports, ask questions and report his findings to his fellow commissioners.