Worcester County, MD – The Worcester County Commissioners have recently awarded a pivotal contract aimed at enhancing the reliability of the county’s generator fleet. The contract, designated for preventive maintenance, was granted to Fidelity Power Systems, which emerged as the most cost-effective and high-value option among five bidders.
During a meeting earlier this month, Procurement Officer Nicholas Rice recommended Fidelity Power Systems for the contract, which is valued at $36,450 annually. Rice noted that Fidelity’s bid was not only the lowest but also received top rankings from all three county evaluators.
“We evaluated five proposals, and Fidelity Power Systems came out on top in terms of both cost and value,” Rice explained.
The contract is set to cover maintenance for approximately 80 generators across the county. However, Commissioner Caryn Abbott raised concerns regarding Fidelity’s past performance. She questioned whether issues with the current contractor, including inadequate inspections, had contributed to the replacement of a generator at the county jail earlier this year.
Rice responded by clarifying that the previous contractor had indeed conducted the necessary inspections. He suggested that delays in implementing recommended repairs might have led to the generator’s eventual failure.
“There were recommended repairs that were not performed in a timely manner, which likely led to the need for replacement,” Rice said.
Commissioner Eric Fiori, addressing past issues, assured that corrective measures had been taken. He emphasized the importance of directing service recommendations to the public works department to avoid similar problems in the future.
Fiori expressed support for the contract but proposed additional measures to address recurring issues related to fuel and coolant. He recommended incorporating a separate contract for fuel scrubbing and adding antifreeze replacement to the generator maintenance agreement.
Rice was uncertain about the impact of these additions on the contract cost but confirmed that the antifreeze service could be included.
The commissioners unanimously approved the contract with Fidelity Power Systems, including the antifreeze service, and decided to explore a separate contract for fuel scrubbing.
“The fuel cleaning will be a separate contract, but we can definitely add the antifreeze service to this agreement,” Rice confirmed.
This contract represents a significant step toward ensuring the operational reliability of Worcester County’s generators, with additional enhancements aimed at preventing future failures.
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