TOWNSHIP LEAF HAULING CONTRACT AWARD DELAYED AFTER CHALLENGE

The Township Committee has tabled the planned approval of a $100,000 contract for leaf removal after one firm that had bid for the contract complained it was wrongly denied. 

The Township put out a request for bids in January to handle the hauling and disposal of the leaves collected each year by the Public Works Department.

Six bids were received, with the lowest bid at $6.87 per cubic yard (or $109,920) from Mazza Mulch Inc. of Tinton Falls, according to a memo from Public Works Director Calvin Bell to Township Administrator Joseph Manning provided at Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting.

See that memo HERE.

The memo also indicated that the third lowest bidder, S. Rotondi & Sons Inc. of Chatham, contested the awarding of the contract to Mazza, claiming the firm did not possess the proper N.J. Department of Environmental Protection permit to haul the leaves. 

Bell's memo indicated a review of Mazza found it did not have the permit and could not haul the 700 cubic yards of leaves required under the contract.

Bell indicated he then sought to award the contract to the second-lowest bidder, Marilyn Haggerty Farms of Washington. N.J. But a review of its bid found it lacked some proper certificates to operate within the contract.

In that case, Bell suggested awarding the contract to S. Rotondi & Sons, which bid $6.94 per cubic yard (or $110,040).

But Mazza owner Dominick Mazza Jr. objected to the bid award, stating that his firm is able to handle the additional hauling and could bring in additional help to do so. He told the TC Tuesday night that he had sent a letter to the Township late Tuesday asking for a delay in the approval vote. 

See his comments below: 

The Township Committee on Tuesday voted to table the approval for two weeks so it could review the claims.