Dear Editor,
In response to the March 8 Tufts Daily article, "Tufts Labor Coalition protests non-union hiring at Tufts Talks event," we would like to share information about Tufts' process for evaluating and selecting construction firms. We followed this process in selecting firms for the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC).
For projects of this size, the university issues a Request for Proposal (RFP) to vendors with detailed requirements and specifications. Vendor proposals that do not meet the RFP specifications are not considered. Vendors whose proposals meet our stringent requirements are invited to present to a selection committee. In addition to considering the architectural and technical merits of the proposal, we also consider factors that include safety records, experience on similar projects and overall cost.
The general contractor that was selected for the SEC — Turner Construction Company — is responsible for vetting and hiring its subcontractors, including carpenters, electricians and other trades. The workforce on the SEC is almost exclusively union labor, representing 90 percent of the work by total dollar value. The primary electrical subcontract — Wayne Griffin — and several smaller specialty electrical subcontracts were awarded to open-shop electricians. Wayne Griffin was selected after an extensive vetting process of both union and non-union subcontractors that thoroughly reviewed their qualifications and all aspects of their proposals. At the time of award, Wayne Griffin had the best safety record among the firms submitting bids.
Linda Snyder
Vice President of Operations
Editor’s note: If you would like to send your response or make an Op-Ed contribution to the Opinion section, please email us at tuftsdailyoped@gmail.com. The Opinion section looks forward to hearing from you.
