In the aftermath of the indictment of New Rochelle’s former DPW fleet manager for allegedly falsifying bidding documents, the City Council and Administration have adopted several reforms aimed at improving oversight of our purchasing procedures and preventing future abuses.
- First, the City will discontinue the practice of permitting verbal quotes from vendors on small purchasing orders. All purchases greater than $500 will now require at least three written quotes, thereby establishing a paper trail that can be more easily scrutinized. (Projects with a value exceeding $10,000 — or $20,000 for public works — will remain subject to an even more rigorous and formalized competitive bidding process.)
- Second, the City will roughly double the number of purchase spot-checks, so that the contents of bid documents are independently confirmed with greater frequency by supervisors.
The City’s prior standards were already consistent with State regulations and with practices in comparable municipalities. Our new standards will significantly exceed these benchmarks.
As I wrote in June, the City has a fundamental responsibility to safeguard the integrity of its operations. Therefore, I strongly support these reforms as an appropriate and necessary response to the alleged misconduct, and I will continue acting to uphold the highest ethical and legal standards in our local government.