Port Commissioners reject security camera bids over $90,000 price gap

WENATCHEE — The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority will start over on the first phase of a security camera upgrade after commissioners rejected all four bids on Sept. 8, deciding it was worth rebidding the project rather than accepting a proposal nearly $90,000 higher than the lowest offer.

The Regional Port received bids ranging from $160,825 to $843,505 for security camera upgrades at Pangborn Memorial Airport, the General Aviation Terminal, Trades District Phase 1 and the Port’s Malaga property.

The two lowest bids, however, were deemed non-responsive because of bid-document requirements.

The $160,825 low bidder did not provide the required bid bond, while Seattle-based Security 101, which bid $204,100, did not acknowledge required bid addenda.

That left Avtec System Integrator’s $249,248 proposal as the lowest responsive bid.

Construction Project Manager Wade Oswald initially recommended awarding the contract to Avtec and establishing an overall project budget of $384,462, including design and construction administration, owner-supplied materials, indirect costs and a 10% contingency.

Commissioner Richard DeRock questioned whether the Regional Port should accept a bid nearly $90,000 above the lowest proposal when the less expensive bids were rejected for procedural reasons rather than shortcomings in the proposed camera systems.

The discussion centered particularly on the missing bid bond. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the requirement was legitimate and that the lowest bid could not simply be accepted after the fact, but DeRock argued the size of the price difference warranted putting the project back out to bid.

His concern was less about whether staff had correctly applied procurement requirements than whether rebidding could ultimately save taxpayers a substantial amount of money.

“I think we have a responsibility to the taxpayers,” DeRock said during the discussion.

Commissioners also discussed the possibility that rebidding could produce a different result. There was no guarantee the $160,825 bidder would submit a compliant proposal the second time or that prices would remain the same.

Still, with nearly $90,000 separating the lowest bid from the lowest proposal the Regional Port could legally accept, commissioners concluded another solicitation was worth the delay.

The board ultimately rejected all bids and directed staff to resolicit the project.

The camera upgrades are the first phase of a broader effort to modernize video surveillance across Regional Port properties. The Port expects the overall system to be developed over several years rather than replaced all at once.

The Regional Port is also developing a video surveillance policy addressing how camera footage will be used, retained and handled under public records requirements.

The Port’s supplemental 2026 budget increased funding for the camera system from $275,000 to $385,000, approximately matching the overall project budget staff had proposed if the Avtec contract were awarded.

Under that proposed $384,462 budget, Avtec’s $249,248 construction contract would have been accompanied by $57,904 for Design West design and construction administration, $46,713 in owner-supplied Firefly materials, $5,000 in indirect costs and a $25,597 contingency.

The fourth and highest bid, from Advanced Electric and Alarm, was $843,505.

No contract was awarded Tuesday. Staff will prepare a new solicitation and return the project to the competitive bidding process.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media