An East Providence telecommunications company was in court earlier this
month to challenge the Newport School Committee’s decision to award a
phone system contract to a Massachusetts contractor. The owners of
Econotel Business Systems Inc. contend they should have received the
contract instead, because a consultant declared them the “lowest,
responsible bidder.”
Instead, school officials awarded the contract to replace telephone
systems in seven schools and the administration building to Williams
Telecommunications of Waltham, Mass. That company also received
contracts to do work on phone systems in other Newport municipal
buildings.
Econotel executives said its bid was $7,416 less than Williams’ bid.
A hearing was held in Newport Superior Court on Friday, Dec. 4, at which
time a judge scheduled another session for Wednesday, Dec. 9, according
to William Hurley Sr., Econotel’s vice president. At that time, Newport
school officials are expected to present their arguments, and the judge
indicated a decision would be issued on Friday, Hurley added.
The state rules say that it’s the lowest responsible bidder (that should
receive contract awards),” Hurley said during a recent interview. “They
could disqualify us for a reason,” such a poor service or a bad track
record with the city, he explained. “Our record is good, we don’t have
any problem, we were the low bidder, we’re responsible.”
Hurley contended that a desire to work with the same contractor on
several projects is not an adequate reason to dismiss the lowest,
responsible bidder.
The Newport School Department’s request for proposals was issued in July
and the bids were unsealed on Aug. 7. The Newport School Committee voted
on Oct. 13.
In a Sept. 21 letter to Newport’s Superintendent of Schools Rodrego
Borgueta, the school department’s business manager indicated that
Econotel submitted “the best bid for these systems,” and that Williams
was “a close second.” The business manager, Paul A. Winthrop, based his
report on advice from a telecommunications consultant from Advanced
TeleConsulting in Sharon, Mass.
Winthrop, however, recommended the school system give Williams
Communications the contract, “since this is the company that recently
was awarded the city contract for replacing the phone system at City
Hall, Police and Fire Stations which will be connecting through the
Centrex lines.
“The installation at the city level was completed in one weekend with
little interruption of services,” Winthrop also wrote.
In a Nov. 6 letter to Borgueta, Econotel’s President Carol Ann Hurley
indicated she had reviewed the consultant’s report and found that “we
are more confident than before that EBS Econotel should receive the
contract.
” Williams was not the low bidder, the system they propose to provide
lacks the flexibility you should have, and, according to your own
consultants report they provide minimally acceptable installation
management,” she further wrote.
Borgueta, in response to that letter, denied Econotel’s formal protest
of the contract award. The superintendent also wrote: “I believe the
awarding of the bid to be proper.”
