Strafford County commissioners voted to accept a bid from Upcountry Property Services to provide cleaning services for county facilities, the board said during a discussion about recurring complaints about the incumbent contractor.

The decision came after staff described nearly a year of problems with the current vendor, repeated complaints from tenants and employees, and repeated attempts to improve performance using check sheets and other monitoring. A staff member told commissioners the new bidder’s proposal appeared to be “about $1,000 more a month” but that the firm “seem[ed] to be a much better professional outfit” and guaranteed it would provide sufficient staff.

Why it matters: County staff and commissioners said persistent cleanliness problems had become a frequent operational issue at county facilities and that replacing the contractor could resolve routine complaints without the county rehiring in-house staff, which officials said would be more costly.

During the meeting a commissioner made a motion to accept the Upcountry Property Services bid. The meeting record shows the board held a roll-call vote and approved the contract; the transcript records affirmative responses from the commissioners but does not name the mover or record individual roll-call names. Staff said the new contractor will be given notice to begin after the county provides the incumbent the required 30-day termination notice.

Board discussion and next steps
County staff confirmed the new vendor’s proposed terms are comparable to the outgoing contractor’s terms and that the county would preserve a 30-day termination clause to allow the county to rebid if the replacement fails to meet standards. Commissioners asked staff to ensure the contract does not lock the county into multiple years without exit rights. The county finance/contract staff will finalize and execute the contract and coordinate service transition and notice to the incumbent.

Provenance: The topic was introduced when staff presented bid comparisons and complaints about the incumbent vendor; the motion to accept Upcountry Property Services and the roll-call vote appear later in the transcript.