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As the transfer of Illinois Department of
Transportation positions from Springfield to Harrisburg hangs in the air,
and after aldermen begrudgingly approved a contract for city laundering
services with a company out of Bloomington, Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards wants
to hear a citywide conversation about jobs.
“We should do everything in our community to
make sure jobs are spent here, but we haven’t had that
discussion,” Edwards says. “And the community needs to be
involved. How important is it to them?”
Enough was enough for Edwards at the Aug. 19 City
Council meeting. Springfield-based Aramark Uniform Services, which has
washed the city’s linens and uniforms for 50 years, lost its contract
to Bloomington-based Unifirst Corp. The out-of-town company acquired the
two-year contract for $211,324.50, nearly $24,000 lower than
Aramark’s asking price.
Aramark claimed it turned in different numbers than
its competitor because it bid “unit cost per week,” instead of
“total inventory.”
“We feel we have the lowest responsible
bid,” general manager Matt Warner told Mayor Tim Davlin and the
aldermen.
Several aldermen including Edwards, Ward 8 Ald. Kris
Theilen, and Ward 4 Ald. Frank Lesko wanted to explore the matter further,
but Davlin argued that even though Aramark interpreted the bid sheet wrong,
the process was closed.
“We are required by law to go with the lowest
bidder,” Davlin said. “Aramark was a great partner of ours and
a huge employer in Springfield. But nothing changes the bid
sheets.”
Unifirst caught fire from Edwards after business
representative Nick Schaefer informed the council that it launders in
Melrose Park and ships its linens and uniforms in a semi-truck to its
Bloomington office daily. The inventory is counted at that location before
it is shipped to the customer. The company hopes to eventually establish a
branch in Springfield, Schaefer said.
“Having services in Melrose Park —
that’s a real concern for the City Council,” Edwards answered,
before voting to approve the contract. The measure passed 9-0.
Davlin agreed at the meeting that a discussion of the
city’s bidding process was needed and suggested perhaps altering the
local preference clause, which allows a local company to become the lowest
bidder if its figures are within two percent of the actual lowest bid. This
didn’t apply in Aramark’s case because the margin was higher
than two percent.
“I think with the aldermen’s suggestion,
we can take a look at it at some point in time, whether its five percent or
nine percent, whatever it is, so we keep jobs here,” Davlin said.
Edwards wouldn’t say if changing the local
preference percentage was the solution, but contends that answers will crop
up from a community conversation. Ernie Slottag, the city communications
director, says the mayor agrees that there should be some local preference
and is willing to listen.
Currently Unifirst is the only out-of-town company
supplying city maintenance services. Allied Waste Service handles the waste
disposal and recycling services; Lincoln Land FS supplies automotive fuels;
Long Elevator Co. maintains the elevators at the Municipal Complex; Watts
Copy System leases its copy machines; Midwest Office Supply provides office
supplies; and Laser Innovations furnishes remanufactured printer
cartridges.
Contact Amanda Robert at arobert@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2008.
