The West Windsor-Plainsboro school board has opened four bids from private companies for custodial, maintenance, grounds, and management services — and all bids show more savings than the $1.5 million originally estimated.
The bid process officially opened in February, the first day private companies could obtain the 100-page bid specifications package.
The board opened bids from four companies: Pritchard, based in New York, which provided an estimate for the first year of service at $5.7 million; All Clean, of Lawrenceville, which provided an estimate of $4.7 million; Aramark, based in Philadelphia, which provided an estimate of $4.6 million; and GCA Services Group, based in Cleveland, which provided an estimate of $5.5 million.
All of the bids fall beneath the $6.2 million estimate — a $1.5 million in savings — provided to the board in a study by its consultant, Edvocate, which submitted an efficiency study.
However, school officials are still in the process of determining whether any of the bidders are “responsible” bidders before the matter is brought to the board for a vote. “When the new school board gets put in place, they will make the decision for the next year,” said Larry Shanok, assistant superintendent for finance.
If it decides to go with privatization, the board will have to take the lowest qualified bidder.
Members of the WW-P Service and Foreman associations and their supporters opposed the board’s decision to entertain the idea of outsourcing in the first place.
