Editorial: Tough look needed for state bids

Thursday, July 26, 2001 | 9:50 a.m.

It's encouraging that Budget Director Perry Comeaux wants to step up the oversight regarding the cost of buildings built for state government and the university system. For that matter, last week the normally mild-mannered budget director was so irked over one public works project that he said the Community College of Southern Nevada had a "champagne taste on a beer budget."

What prompted Comeaux's concern was the construction of a science building on the Charleston campus of the Community College of Southern Nevada. The architect for the Public Works Board, which oversees the construction of buildings for state government and the university system, said the community college wanted to use a specific fabric to cover the science building's outside mechanical units. But as one of the construction companies that bid on the project noted, buying a specific brand-name material would cost $1.8 million, much more than a substitute material that could be purchased for just about $700,000. In the end, there was so much confusion over the bid specifications that on Wednesday the Public Works Board rejected all the bids and decided to start over on seeking a contractor for the project.

It's clear that Comeaux is on the right track in wanting to develop a consistent policy for the Public Works Board's staff so that they establish a proper balance, ensuring that a premium isn't placed on aesthetics while ignoring the importance of obtaining a decent price for a project. Government always should look out on the behalf of taxpayers in getting the biggest bang for its buck, but in recent years this has grown even more important as state agencies cope with austere budgets.