During a September meeting of Conshohocken’s borough council that focused on the 2026 budget, there was a brief discussion about the borough’s bidding procedures, which officials do not appear confident are resulting in the best outcomes for taxpayers.
Council member Ralph Frey (I, Ward 7) raised an issue related to the cost of construction projects that had been talked about during the meeting, mentioning the Second Avenue Memorial Park, the public safety facility, and the community center (a future project).
Frey offered that the borough is budgeting a certain amount and asked whether the qualifiers in place for who can bid allow for enough competition to get the best value when putting a project out for bid.
Borough Manager Stephanie Cecco answered no. Ray Sokolowski, the borough’s executive director of operations/emergency management coordinator/BCO, agreed and explained that they follow the required policies. Cecco continued that she couldn’t promise that the bids that come back will match the budgeted numbers.
What they are discussing (without naming it) is the Responsible Contractor’s Ordinance that the borough council adopted in 2006 and updated in 2014. This ordinance established qualifications for those seeking to bid on public construction and maintenance contracts. These qualifications currently apply to any bid over $350,000.
Critics of this type of ordinance point to one specific requirement that they claim makes the ordinance union-friendly and disqualifies numerous qualified non-union contractors. That requirement involves participation in a “Class A apprenticeship program for the past three years, at a minimum, for each separate trade or classification in which it employs craft employees and shall continue to participate in such program or programs for the duration of the project.”
Proponents of these ordinances say they are necessary to complete the work
As the conversation continued, Cecco suggested they discuss the issue with their solicitor present, as it would involve a change to the ordinance.
Responsible Contractor Ordinances are sensitive political subjects, with unions often filling public meetings when they are on the agenda. As you may remember, a similar policy was adopted by the Colonial School Board in 2018, with a Democratic Party-endorsed slate of candidates receiving large donations from unions and claims of political pressure from Democratic Party officials. This led to candidates for the school board not seeking endorsement from either of the political parties. This trend continues into the current day.
The Colonial School Board issue was in the lead-up to the construction of the new Colonial Middle School and renovations to Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. While the policy was adopted, there was an eventual vote to rescind the policy and rebid the construction of Colonial Middle School after the two bids received put the project over budget.
You can watch the recent discussion in Conshohocken below.