Questionable Contract for Southwestern College?

Response to July 11, 2012 San Diego Reader article, “Questionable Contract for Southwestern College,’ written by Susan Luzzaro Dear Reader: I am writing in response to the July 11, 2012 San Diego Reader article, “Questionable Contract for Southwestern College,” written by Susan Luzzaro, and wish to provide information about the process that Southwestern Community College (SWC) followed with regard to Request for Proposals (RFP) 134: Educational and Facilities Master Plans, since this information was not included in the San Diego Reader article. The details about the RFP 134 process are contained in an addendum to the publicly posted July 11, 2012 Governing Board agenda. (http://bit.ly/NkkdeA) In the interest of due diligence, encouraging fair competition, and transparency, the District followed an RFP process to identify the proposal that best fit the needs of the District and to procure the best value contract. The process was rigorous, fair, and conducted in compliance with the law (Government Code 53060 and Public Contracts Code 20111 – 20651). Thirty-one firms were sent the RFP, seven firms attended the pre-proposal meeting, and four firms submitted proposals. As the co-lead of this RFP process, I can attest to the thoughtful manner in which all proposals were evaluated. An extensive review process was conducted using pre-established criteria provided in the RFP. Teams from three contracting firms were invited to interview with the RFP 134 Interview Committee. RFP 134 Interview Committee was responsible for selection of the contracting firm to be recommended to Dr. Melinda Nish, SWC Superintendent / President, for submission to the SWC Governing Board. This Committee was composed of six members including administrators as well as two faculty representatives of the Academic Senate. Superintendent/President Nish was NOT part of the RFP 134 Interview Committee. The the final selection of a contracting firm by the RFP 134 Interview Committee was a unanimous decision. Thank you for the opportunity to clarify the facts about the process used for SWC’s RFP 134: Educational and Facilities Master Plan. We look forward to the development of an exceptional plan that will guide SWC into the future. Sincerely, Kathy Tyner, M.S. Vice President for Academic Affairs Southwestern College
— July 15, 2012 2:27 p.m.