Towing contract bid has unfair requirements, appeals board rules

The bid for the city's towing contract contained two unfair specifications, according to a city appeals board that recommended the mayor change the bid specs.

The decision is a response to an appeal by Midwest Towing that bid requirements for the lucrative towing contract unfairly favored current contract holder Capital Towing.

Midwest Towing described five unfair issues in its appeal.

The appeals board agreed with two of those issues.

The requirement to have nine specific kinds of trucks at the time of bid closing makes it difficult for small towing companies to bid, according to the Midwest Towing complaint.

The Procurement Appeals Board recommended that bidders have six trucks at the time of bid closing and show the financial ability to obtain the additional three trucks.

The board also recommended that the city provide more information to potential bidders on the computer system the successful bidder must have.

Mayor Chris Beutler will make the final decision on the towing appeal.

The bid process was halted before the bid close date after Midwest filed the appeal.

Capital Towing has had the city's towing business for 16 years.

The four-year tow contract can be renewed for another four years, almost guaranteeing the winner will have city business for eight years.

The contract includes towing and storage of vehicles improperly parked on city streets and towing of vehicles damaged in accidents when police call for the tow.

This was the second bid process in recent months for the new towing contract.

In early October, the City Council rejected the low bid from Capital Towing after it heard complaints about that bidding process from competitors.