Who Designed This?
How did a $6.5M No-bid Contract get signed without Community Review?
We have no clear answers as to why this $6.5 million project was approved without the typical extensive review process. Normally, a project of this scale and value would have undergone months of scrutiny by the Willistown Planning Commission, Willistown Historical Commission, and Willistown Sustainability Committee. Additionally, the general public would have had opportunities to provide input through workshop sessions with the designers and tours of the Public Works property.
The lack of this comprehensive review process raises concerns about transparency and community engagement. Projects of this magnitude should involve thorough vetting by relevant municipal bodies and provide avenues for public participation. The absence of these standard procedures is troubling and warrants further investigation to understand how this exception was made and what factors led to the expedited approval.
How Did We Get Here: On April 14th, 2025, Supervisors Robert Lange and William Shoemaker voted to award a $6.5 million government no-bid contract to the Australian contractor BlueScope Construction. The contract is for the construction of a new Public Works Building for the 9 employees of the roads crew.
NOT TOO LATE - By law, every construction contract CAN BE TERMINATED.
Request for Action: I urge you to write to Lange and Shoemaker and request that they TERMINATE THE CONTRACT and Get Competitive Bids after Community Review.
Sample Email:
Dear (William Shoemaker or Robert Lange),
I believe this $6.5M No-Bid government contract should be terminated and we should get community review by our Planning Commission, Historical Commission and Sustainabilty Committee. By law - every construction contract CAN BE TERMINATED.
Please terminate the contract and get competitive bids from American Companies. This is good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Sincerely yours,(your name)
Email to: