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Politics & Government

Audit Finds That Town of Woodway Did Not Follow State Bid Laws

In addition to three public works projects, the purchase of playground equipment and a tractor did not follow regulations. The Town is now ensuring that proper training is in place so that procedures are followed.

An audit has found that the Town of Woodway did not follow state bid laws, limiting competition and potentially not ensuring it received the best possible price.

The results were released on Tuesday by the State Auditor's Office and covered the period from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2010.

Three public works projects were looked at to determine if the Town followed state law when selecting vendors from a small works roster and when ensuring it pays prevailing wages:

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  • The Woodway Park Storm Drainage project estimated to cost $184,765, which began on February 12, 2009.
  • The Makah-Chinook Storm Water project estimated to cost $117,640, which began on January 20, 2009.
  • The North Deer Park Road and Algonquin Road storm water project estimated to cost $71,015, which began on September 8, 2009.

The audito found that, for the Woodway and Makah projects, the Town sought quotes from seven contractors on the small works roster, but did not notify the remaining contractors that quotations were being sought. 
 
For the Woodway and North Deer Park projects, the audit reports, the Town did not withhold retainage or receive bonds in lieu of retainage. It also did not ensure prevailing wages were paid.
 
For the Makah project, the Town released the retainage prior to receiving releases from the Department of Revenue, Employment Security Department and the Department of Labor & Industries.

In addition, the audit reports that state law requires a Town to formally bid purchases of supplies and equipment costing more than $7,500. This process includes making specifications available to interested parties through a notice in the newspaper 13 days prior to the date bids will be opened publicly and at a fixed time and place.

The Town can fulfill bidding requirements by procuring goods through a purchasing cooperative if it is a member. The audit reviewed three purchases during the audit period and noted the Town did not comply with bid laws:

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  • The Town did not solicit competitive bids when it purchased playground equipment for $52,330 and related supplies for $21,348.
  • The Town purchased a tractor for $28,032 using the state Department of General Administration’s contract; however, the Town was not a member of the purchasing cooperative. 

The audit said that the the Town did not have adequate knowledge or training related to public works and purchasing requirements. In addition, the Town does not have policies or procedures to ensure state bid laws are followed.

In response to the audit's finding, the Town of Woodway released the following statement:

"The Town of Woodway will ensure employees responsible for procurement are adequately trained in contracting procedures and state law, that adequate policies and procedures are established to ensure state bid laws are followed, and we will ensure that all contractors comply with prevailing wage requirements."

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