|
Williamson County commissioners exempted the contract for transportation of deceased individuals from the county's standard competitive bidding process June 9, allowing the four Justices of the Peace to continue using Tranquil Mortuary.
What happened: The county's purchasing department flagged that annual spending on deceased transportation had reached almost $253,000 across the four districts, surpassing the $100,000 threshold that typically triggers a formal request for proposal process.
A competitive bidding is recommended to maintain compliance and protect the county from potential lawsuits from other vendors, County Purchasing Agent Joy Simonton said.
However, the four Williamson County JPs opposed an RFP process, requesting that the court use a local government code provision to grant a discretionary exemption for services necessary to preserve public health and safety.
Tranquil Mortuary, the county's current provider, is the only reliable 24-hour local option, the JPs said, and hiring an out-of-county provider would lead to extended response times.
|