Editorial: Lowest bids often aren’t good enough

Friday, Jan. 19, 2001 | 9:32 a.m.

It is understandable that the Clark County Commission rejected the lowest bidder on a parks project after learning of allegations that the contractor had previously paid its workers as little as $2.50 an hour on other jobs. Along with union representatives, the state's chief compliance investigator, Gail Maxwell, told commissioners that they should reject the bid of City Plan Development Inc. Maxwell said the firm produces more complaints to her office than any other. She also noted that in 1997 labor violations caused the company to be suspended from working on public works projects for a year.

While government should strive to get the best price for contracted services, even then there are limits. At the same time the qualifications of the contractor -- including whether the company complies with labor laws -- also should be weighed. Only responsible firms that abide by labor laws should be awarded potentially lucrative government contracts.