Missoulian: Unions argue for ‘best-value contracting' for local construction - By MEA ANDREWS, The Missoulian, MT
With at least two large public construction projects in the pipeline, Missoula's electricians, carpenters and others in the building trades are promoting “best-value contracting” instead of “lowest price wins the bid.”
Bottom lines are important, but so are health benefits, ongoing training, decent wages, solid track records, on-time construction practices, and lots of other criteria that could - and should - be weighed in public bids, they argue.
“When you've got to be cheaper than anyone else, you can guess how they do it,” says Dennis Daneke, Northwest Carpenters union representative in Missoula. “They cut wages and benefits.”