Board of Awards Meeting - June 28, 2026
Board of Awards Meeting - June 28, 2026
The Board of Awards met on June 28, 2026, at 10:01 a.m., chaired by Purchasing Agent Chick Hope. In attendance were newly appointed Fire Chief Bill Lsbury, Attorney Caitlin Bruce, Assistant Corporation Counsel Tim Nolan, Superintendent of Public Services, and other department heads. The board considered eight agenda items and approved all unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Item 1: Eighth Modification of Professional Services Agreement with Tax Serve Capital Services – Extended the agreement to April 1, 2027, with no fee changes and clarified that all city tax and non-tax receivables may be placed for collection. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 2: Bid for Heavy Equipment Rental and Related Trade Labor Services (2026-2027) – Unit price bid for as-needed work; eight bids received. Awarded to the low bidder as per city code. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 3: Purchase of All Tech LR 860-E70 Aerial Device with Chipper Box for Forestry Department – Purchased from All Tech Industries via cooperative contract for $232,870. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 4: Bid for Safety Apparel – Extended contracts: Brigham Industries for one year with minor price increases on certain shields; Fire Attack and Safety of New England for six months at current prices due to tariff uncertainty. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 5: Recruit Training for Fire Department – Approved use of Bridgeport Fire Department Academy at $4,500 per student (plus optional EMT certification for $1,200) instead of Connecticut Fire Academy at $8,685 per student, based on Chief Lsbury's justification including union approval. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 6: Bid for Custodial Services for Public Buildings – Renewed Preferred Cleaning Services for fiscal year 2026-2027 with a 3% increase, but placed on a three-month probationary period due to service concerns. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 7: Purchase of Roush C90 HD CCT Sewer Inspection System – Sole source purchase from Sanitary Equipment Company for $59,730.75, justified by compatibility with existing equipment. Motion approved unanimously.
- Item 8: Bid for Emergency Vehicle Upfitting for Public Works Department – Awarded to Precision Brake Works based on best value, lifetime warranty, and local service garage, despite not being the low bidder. Three bids received. Motion approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All eight agenda items were approved by unanimous vote.
- The custodial services vendor was placed on a three-month probationary period.
- The fire department will use Bridgeport Fire Academy for recruit training, starting with the summer 2026 class.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, this is the Board of Awards for Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026, calling the meeting to order at 1001 a.m. Uh my name's Chick Hope. I'm the purchasing agent. We have with us an attendance today. Our newly appointed fire chief, Bill Lsbury. We have attorney Caitlin Bruce, Assistant Corporation Counsel, Mr. Tim Nolan, Superintendent of Public Services. We have Mr. Sean DeVaz, our tax collector, their appearance. We have uh Miss Karen Brunty, our assistant finance director, Ms. Debbie Natale, assistant purchasing agent, Mr. Sean Hanley, Superintendent of Public Buildings, Mr. Kent Higgins, Assistant Superintendent of Public Utilities, Mr. Tom Hughes, our construction services superintendent. We've got everybody, no one's remote. We have eight items on the agenda. The first item is authorization for the eighth modification of the professional services agreement between the city of Danbury and tax serve capital services for the tax collector. And for the record, the tax collector's requesting approval of the eighth modification to the professional services agreement with tax serve. The seventh modification that was effective April 1st, 2025, added two additional one year extension options at the city's discretion. The eighth modification exercises the first of those two options. So we'll be extending the agreement to April 1st, 2027. This agreement remains a contingent-free arrangement under which tax service compensated based on a percentage of collections. And there's no change in the fee structure as proposed in this modification. The eighth modification also clarifies that the city that all types of city tax and non-tax receivables may be placed with tax server for collection, regardless of the receivable type. So if I said all that correctly, we move motion from you, Mr. Device. I move to approve the eighth modification as submitted. Okay. Second by Ms. Brunty. Any discussion. Seeing none, all in favor. Caitlin Grace, I vote in favor. Sean Devaz, I vote in favor. All right. Motion carrier commands. Thank you. Thank you. Moving on to number two. This is the bid for heavy equipment rental and related trade labor services 2026-2027. And for the record, this is a unit price bid for work to be performed on an as-needed basis for one year period. We received eight bids. So this is the how the utilization of this bid will be. Number two, for emergencies and repair projects performed under this bid, it is not possible to define the scope of services in advance of such work. Such emergency or repair work may be permitted upon approval of the board of awards and in accordance with this provision set forth in section two-206 of the city code of ordinances. Number three, for projects performed under this bid as a supplement to the city's existing workforce. Such supplemental work may be permitted upon approval of the board of awards in accordance with the provisions set forth in section two-206 of the city's code of ordinances. Four, any project shall be awarded to the low bidder by item. Five, any project shall be awarded to the low bidder by group of items. Six, any project shall be awarded to the lowest available bidder.
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