April 18th, 2009 by Alec

Affirmative Bidding Action

The St. Lucie County Commission has taken an inevitable step with its bid projects, (Read the Article Here) requiring that certain projects be serviced by local companies, and that local companies will be given preference over national established companies in the event of close bids. While this seems advantageous on the surface, it’s the wrong move for small cities and counties.

Outside bid holders drive more people into a given municipality, thereby increasing the number of people that local merchants can sell to. Furthermore, the aggregate ramifications of this type of closed bid system in multiple municipalities across the country will inevitably slow the advancement of technology, as large companies as bid holders are the most likely contributors towards industry development.

In my opinion, the best way for the St. Lucie County Commission to reach its goals, would be to require a certain level of community service with each bid-contract, whether its planting some trees, or contributing fixing low-income-housing projects – a little community involvement would go a long way.