BOE don't need no stinkin' bids!

Here's what the Board of Education paid for the FIELDTURF artificial turf at these two high schools:

5/25/2012    Gaithersburg High School    $4.47 per square foot

10/17/2012  Paint Branch High School    $4.47 per square foot

Pennsylvania's Keystone Purchasing Network:  $4.89 per square foot

The BOE claims that their prices are based "off" the Keystone Cooperative pricing. 


Now, here's the 10/23/2012 price a school system in Pennsylvania can pay for FIELDTURF artificial turf based on the COMPETITIVE BID they received from FIELDTURF

$3.77 per square foot

Keep in mind that an artificial turf field is about 92,000 square feet.  So a savings of 70 cents per square foot on the two MCPS fields would have yielded savings of almost $130,000 on this one component of the project alone. (There are many other parts to an artificial turf field installation.  None of the components are put out for bids in MCPS land.)

Want to hear more? The $3.77 price that the PA school system can pay for their FIELDTURF is a full $1.00 cheaper than the Keystone Pennsylvannia purchasing price that the BOE claims gives them such a "deal".

So is using the Keystone Purchasing Network really a good thing?

Video: Council LOVES Overpriced, No-Bid, Lead Infused Plastic Grass!

Click this link ED - 1/28/13 to watch today's Montgomery County Council Education Committee approving a new plastic grass field for Wootton High School.

Here are some quotes from the video:

MCPS Director of Construction James Song: "it's a win-win situation"
"4 months design and permitting through City of Rockville"
"Booster Club submitted a commitment letter"
"Terms and cost are consistent with other projects at Richard Montgomery..."

Councilmember Phil Andrews: "I don't think concerns have proven out at this point, with the exception of extreme heat..."

Valerie Ervin:  "We were asking for certain things to be done..."

Dr. Kathleen Michels:  "lead particulates in the breathing zone" of players
"Who will pay for replacement costs for Richard Montgomery High School?" [Now that partner is gone.]

At the end of the video, did anyone hear Councilmember Ervin call for a vote? No? She just spoke for the committee.  Fascinating how she can read minds.

Plastic Grass for PG

The Washington Post:  Prince George's school board rescinds vote against state bills

The Prince George’s County Board of Education voted to rescind its opposition to a state bill that creates a task force to study the composition of the school board and another measure that requires the installation of artificial turf fields at county high schools...

...Len Lucchi, the board’s lobbyist, told members that Del. Jay Walker (D-Prince George’s), who is sponsoring the turf field bill, is reviewing how Anne Arundel County paid for its fields. Walker’s original bill would have cost the school system $18 million to have the turf fields installed by 2018.
Lucchi said Walker is considering an amendment that would require the money to come from county or open-space funding.
County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) has not take a position on either piece of legislation, according to Christian Rhodes, his education liaison.

Gazette: Montgomery County inspector general looking into consultant’s connection with turf company

Montgomery County’s inspector general is looking into how the county parks department selected an artificial turf supplier... 

http://www.gazette.net/article/20121017/NEWS/710179451/0/gazette&template=gazette

Breaking News: M-NCPPC Artificial Turf Consultant was also Field Turf Contractor

In a November 29, 2010 blog posting we released a February 27, 2009 M-NCPPC memo that showed that FieldTurf has an exclusive 5 year deal with M-NCPPC and MCPS to supply artificial turf for fields. No other artificial turf vendors can bid on these procurements.  No Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are issued.

Today, we are releasing an October 29, 2008 letter to M-NCPPC that shows who was on the consulting "team" that M-NCPPC used to select FieldTurf as the sole supplier of artificial turf.  

In the letter to M-NCPPC below, we learn that Huron Counsulting was involved in the process that selected FieldTurf as the sole supplier for M-NCPPC. (The memo below also says that FieldTurf "cost is higher than the competitors".  But hey, we're Montgomery County where money grows on trees.)  

Who is Huron Consulting?  Well, we will let a press release from FieldTurf answer that question:

Three local Maryland companies, among many others, have benefitted tremendously in terms of their growth and development as a direct correlation of FieldTurf's local presence. The first company is the Huron Consulting Company, which has been instrumental in designing economical and technologically advanced storm water management solutions for artificial grass fields. Huron's knowledge of the State and local County storm water management regulations enabled the team to provide innovative engineering alternatives that have saved Maryland schools hundreds of thousands of dollars while remaining environmentally conscious. Since working in partnership with FieldTurf, Huron's sports surfacing projects in Maryland have grown from one field in 2007 to five in 2008. This relationship with FieldTurf exemplifies how a local business working in partnership with an industry pioneer can provide exceptional service and value.

Let's recap:

• FieldTurf states that Huron Consulting's artificial turf projects with them increased from 1 in 2007 to 5 in 2008
• May 12, 2008:  Huron Consulting is hired by MCPS to work on Richard Montgomery High School artificial turf field installation.
• October 29, 2008:  Huron Consulting is named as part of the M-NCPPC consulting team that decided that FieldTurf would be sole source for M-NCPPC artificial turf fields (Huron was already working with FieldTurf on the RMHS project when this letter was written.)
• February 27, 2009:  M-NCPPC staff state that FieldTurf is to be the sole source of M-NCPPC artificial turf for 5 years.  In that memo, M-NCPPC staff also state that MCPS is using FieldTurf as their sole supplier of artificial turf.
• Huron Consulting's "hat trick" with MCPS fields - they worked on all 3 of these FieldTurf installations:  Blair High School, Richard Montgomery High School (2008) and Walter Johnson High School (2009).

10-29-08 Evaluation and Recommendation Letter