Do you think the City should keep their bidding process open?

City offices were closed in Oakland today. And most City Council committee meetings scheduled for tomorrow (Oct. 11) have been cancelled as well.  The Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee will meet at 2pm.

On its’ agenda a requirement that all Oakland Army Base demolition and remediation contracts be awarded either through a sole-source or competitive bid process open only to City of Oakland Certified Local Business Enterprise (LBE) or Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) firms. 

The CED committee will further consider requiring prime contractors and their subcontractors bidding for demolition and remediation at the Oakland Army Base submit bids showing that their Core Employee workforces for these jobs will be comprised of at least thirty-three-percent (33%) Oakland residents to be considered for the contract.

The Chamber usually urges the City to keep their bidding process open to assure the best service at the lowest cost.  What do you think?