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Board recommends policy committee review higher bid threshold, seeks up-to-$25,000 limit

March 30, 2025 | RSU 40/MSAD 40, School Districts, Maine


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Board recommends policy committee review higher bid threshold, seeks up-to-$25,000 limit
District facilities staff asked the board to review the administrative bid limit used to trigger a formal procurement process, saying the existing $10,000 threshold no longer covers routine commercial purchases and increases workload for staff.

A staff presenter explained that inflation and higher vendor costs have made the $10,000 limit insufficient for many routine purchases and asked the board to consider raising the threshold to $20,000–$25,000 to reduce administrative burden and speed repairs. Board discussion emphasized a desire to retain vendor competition and oversight while reducing the number of small RFPs.

One board member made a motion that the policy committee review the district procurement policy and consider raising the bid threshold to as much as $25,000; another board member asked that the motion be clarified to read "up to $25,000." The board then voted in favor of recommending the change to the policy committee; meeting minutes did not record individual roll-call votes or a numeric tally in the transcript excerpt.

The board chair and several trustees said they support the change as pragmatic given rising prices but confirmed the matter must go to the policy committee for formal review and a subsequent board vote on any policy amendments.

Next steps identified during the discussion: the policy committee will review the procurement policy and bring a recommended amendment or language back to the full board for adoption if members approve any change in the bid threshold.

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Scribe from Workplace AI
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