CARLISLE, Pa., Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlisle
Construction Materials, a leading supplier of commercial roofing
materials nationwide, recently voiced grave concerns with the way
many school districts across the country procure roofing work in a
WBAL-TV news feature highlighting the issue. The feature
focused on Maryland-area schools
whose roofing projects are alleged to have cost taxpayers tens of
millions more than necessary due to a cooperative procurement model
that circumvents the competitive bidding process. To view the
WBAL story, please visit http://goo.gl/hibTu.
This story comes on the heels of Pennsylvania Senator Pat Vance's July 7
bill that aims to eliminate loopholes in the procurement code for
roofing contracts in PA. The legislation would require all
publicly funded projects over $10,000
to be competitively bid, and would require specifications to be
prepared by an independent design professional. Senator
Vance's plan can be viewed at http://goo.gl/5UFr4.
"It's just mind-boggling to me that you'd have individual school
districts that would be willing to pay that degree of a premium,"
said Mike DuCharme, Director of
Product Marketing for Carlisle.
DuCharme provided reporters with a market study that found
school districts that use the same cooperative procurement model in
the state of Pennsylvania pay, on
average, double the cost per square foot of roofing material than
what is available on the open market. "The costs for
Pennsylvania are [the same as] the
costs for Maryland," DuCharme said
in the interview.
Carlisle is concerned that the
cooperative purchasing model used in Pennsylvania, Maryland and 22 other states is unfairly
restrictive. For more than a decade only one company, Tremco,
has been able to participate in the proprietary qualification
process. This bidding model results in inflated prices for
both materials and labor.
About Carlisle Construction Materials
Carlisle Construction Materials is part of Carlisle Companies
(NYSE: CSL), a diversified global manufacturing company serving the
construction materials, commercial roofing, specialty tire and
wheel, power transmission, heavy-duty brake and friction,
foodservice, aerospace, and test and measurement industries.
SOURCE Carlisle Construction Materials