Local Contractor Wins Highway Bid Amid Board Debate
County Commissioners grapple with local versus lowest-cost bidding in the construction of the Kennewick-Finley Highway.
In the matter of the Kennewick-Finley Permanent Highway No. 4, the contract was awarded to W. A. Morain of Kennewick for $18,419.95. Commissioner Sifford requested the record show he preferred the lowest bidder, but concurred with the majority. Commissioner Ward defended the decision to award the contract to a local bidder, stating, 'Money should be spent where people need it, and because the bid of the lowest bidder was too low to make a good job.'
“Money should be spent where people need it.”
This debate over local preference in public contracting is a classic dilemma that persists in modern municipal government—balancing the goal of cost efficiency with the desire to keep tax dollars circulating within the community.
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