Good Morning,
I’m looking for some guidance on potentially going out for bid for towing services and would appreciate any insight from those who have handled something similar.
We are considering separating towing into two categories:
General towing services
Heavy-duty towing (18-wheelers)
We’re currently dealing with 18-wheelers parking in our Library parking lot. Our ordinance requires that, in order to post towing signage, we must name a specific tow company on the sign. At this time, we are not under contract with any tow company.
To my knowledge, we may only have one local vendor with the capability to tow an 18-wheeler. However, we do not want to unintentionally exclude other towing companies from providing general towing services to the City.
Given that situation:
Would it make sense to structure this as two separate solicitations (heavy-duty and general towing)?
Or would you recommend one solicitation with separate categories or lots?
Additionally, since the City would not receive revenue from the towing associated with the Library parking lot (fees would be paid directly by the vehicle owner to the tow company), would an informal solicitation process be appropriate in this scenario?
I’d appreciate any advice or best practices before we move forward.
Thank you!