JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Ocean Pines Board members last Saturday said they were unhappy with how General Manager John Bailey handled bids for a new drainage project.

Daly to GM: ‘the system doesn’t work that way’

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Feb. 21, 2019) The Ocean Pines Board approved four of five capital purchase requests Saturday, with one in particular catching the attention of several directors.

Two golf maintenance items, a reel grinder and bedknife grinder, passed 6-0 with Director Slobodan Trendic abstaining.

A vote on a third request, to replace the second-floor deck at the yacht club, was postponed until more information about a warranty could be obtained.

In discussing a fourth capital purchase, for a Boston Drive drainage pipe, Director Ted Moroney wondered aloud why General Manager John Bailey did not go with the low bidder.

According to the official meeting packet, the Kent Construction Company bid, $44,370, was slightly better than the Murtech Marine Division bid of $47,714.

Under comments for Kent Construction Company, the packet read, “Very qualified company. Kent has not worked with Ocean Pines on past projects and is part of the consideration for the award even though they are the low bidder.”

“If I’m bidding work as a contractor and I’m the low bidder and I’m considered very qualified – and you’re not going to give me the work – guess what, the next time you bid a job I’m not bothering,” Moroney said. “I’d just kind of like to have an explanation why we wouldn’t go with them if they’re qualified.”

Bailey said, for one, the difference was only about $3,400.

“Not having that big of a difference, even though it was the low bid [was one consideration], then you look at the other considerations that we have done with work with Murtech Marine and they’ve been on time and completed to our satisfaction, so those are two elements of it,” Bailey said. “You don’t always have to go with low bid.”

Director Frank Daly countered, “The problem with that explanation is the system doesn’t work that way.”

“There are multi, multi-million dollar construction projects in this market, I think, as Director Moroney can attest to, that are lost by a couple dollars. And that explanation just simply doesn’t [wash] with the contracting community, and personally is unacceptable to me as a board member,” Daly said.

Bailey said it was not Ocean Pines policy to always award the lowest bidder.

“If you want to change that policy, we can change the policy,” he said.

“I completely understand that. There’s a difference between somebody who submits a low bid that’s not qualified and somebody that submits a low bid that’s fully qualified,” Daly said.

Director Slobodan Trendic said it was absurd that a bid was rejected merely because of a lack of a prior working relationship.

“As far as I’m concerned, unless you put out the RFP that states that, you cannot disqualify the vendor because he hasn’t done business with Ocean Pines in the past,” he said. “It sends the wrong message to the community.”

Bailey, appearing frustrated, replied, “If you want the low bid, go with the low bid then.”

Moroney then pointed to Bailey’s own words in the meeting packet report: “Kent Construction Company is the lowest bidder and has completed projects with-in the pines for Worcester County but has never worked as a subcontractor directly for Ocean Pines. Kent Construction is a very good company with good references.”

“So, I’m asking you, why would you disqualify a company with good references whose done work for Worcester County in Ocean Pines?” Moroney said. “What’s the justification for taking the low bidder who you say yourself is qualified and done work in Ocean Pines and simply excluding them … it makes no sense to me, from a business standpoint, to disqualify the low bidder when you say he’s qualified. That’s the problem I’m having.”

Moroney, at that point, shook his head, stood up and walked away from the table.

Association President Doug Parks said the board had the option to choose the general manager’s recommendation or approve the low bid.

The directors opted for the latter and voted 7-0 in favor of the Kent Construction Company bid.

A final capital request, for bulkhead repairs, was approved unanimously.