The City of Methuen has extended bidding deadlines for construction of a projected $1 million clubhouse at Nicholson Stadium.
According to city documents, all subtrade bids previously received for heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC), and electrical, were rejected for reasons that less than three bids were received in each trade, and were not reasonable without further competition. Sub-trade bidding in those areas has been extended to Oct. 1, while general contractor bids are extended until Oct. 8.
Plans call for a more than 4,600 gross square-foot, single-story, clubhouse structure with a concrete slab, comprised of masonry and light frame construction. It would house male and female locker rooms, bathroom facilities, office space and a multii-use room. General contractors bidding for the Nicholson Stadium clubhouse project are also be required to contract with minority and women business enterprises certified by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) for at least 10.4 percent of the total construction cost.
Roger is “right on.” Equal Opportunity is the key, not quotas; considering race, ethnicity and sex in the awarding of contracts does nothing to ensure that the best, most knowledgeable and cost efficient contractor will be awarded the job.
Re last sentence in this article (“General contractors bidding for the Nicholson Stadium clubhouse project are also be required to contract with minority and women business enterprises certified by the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) for at least 10.4 percent of the total construction cost.”): Why do race, ethnicity, and sex need to be considered at all in deciding who gets awarded a contract? It’s good to make sure contracting programs are open to all, that bidding opportunities are widely publicized beforehand, and that no one gets discriminated against because of skin color, national origin, or sex. But that means no preferences because of skin color, etc. either–whether it’s labeled a “set-aside,” a “quota,” or a “goal,” since they all end up amounting to the same thing. Such discrimination is unfair and divisive; it breeds corruption and otherwise costs the taxpayers and businesses money to award a contract to someone other than the lowest bidder; and it’s almost always illegal—indeed, unconstitutional—to boot (see 42 U.S.C. section 1981 and this model brief: http://www.pacificlegal.org/document.doc?id=454 ). Those who insist on engaging in such discrimination deserve to be sued, and they will lose.