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All makes and models.  M  W  happened in any building I manage, but   hypothetically, if a board member rec-  ommended someone, we would let them   bid—it would be up to the board whether   they got  the job. Board  members come   from all walks of life; some are engineers,   and  I  would  take  recommendations  di-  rectly from them—but from their cousin’s   cousin, not so much. If they have the   proper background, it’s one thing. If not,   it typically doesn’t work out well.”  Bid Farewell?  All of this may beg the question: does   every contract or project need to be bid   out? According to Richard Brooks, a   partner at the law fi rm of Marcus, Errico,   Emmer, & Brooks in Braintree, Massa-  chusetts, the short answer is no—at least   not legally speaking. He says it’s really   more an exercise in common sense. Small   jobs oft en don’t merit taking the time and   eff ort to solicit multiple bids, and in an   emergency situation, obtaining bids just   isn’t practical.   Cutolo agrees,  though  he  does  add   that “while the body of law does not ad-  dress the competitive bidding of contrac-  tor vendors, it’s my opinion that the best   practice for communities depends on the   circumstances. As a general practice, it   is wise to solicit multiple bids when the   board is seeking to contract with a vendor.   However, where a project is emergent, it   is not always reasonable to solicit bids,”   he says. “Due to the time-sensitive nature   of emergent projects, such as remediating   water intrusion, it may be necessary for   the association to enter into a contract   immediately. To ensure the health, safety,   and welfare of the community, the asso-  ciation may not have the time to solicit   numerous bids.”  Brooks  adds  that  when  it  comes  to   longer-term contractual relationships like   with a manager or an attorney, “there’s no   reason to go out to bid unless things aren’t   going well.” In fact, those relationships   benefi t from their longevity, where in-  stitutional knowledge, personal comfort,   and familiarity with the property have   value that likely  outweighs  saving a  few   bucks by switching to a diff erent provider.   What if your Association   Is Self-Managed?  Wolf suggests that self-managed build-  ings can solicit and analyze bids as effi  -  ciently  as  buildings  with  managers.  He   says, “Don’t be afraid to bring in the   expertise of an engineer or architect if   necessary. If not, be as detailed as pos-  sible to get a contract that meets your ex-  pectations. Meet with the contractors on   site and walk through and express your   expectations.  Communicate  the  details.   Communication is the key.”  What to Watch Out For  “Be suspicious if a price is much lower   for one contractor than the others,” says   Wolf. “Th  ere’s something wrong there. In   today’s market, if they say they can start   tomorrow, ask why, because it’s just im-  possible today. If they say they have an   opening because of a cancellation, be   careful. It can be a problem. If they pull   up in a landscaping vehicle to do a roof-  ing job, it’s a problem. Always ask if they   actually have insurance. It’s very impor-  tant. Your association doesn’t have cover-  age for hiring an uninsured contractor.”  n  A J Sidransky is a staff  writer/reporter   for New England Condominium, and a pub-  lished novelist.   In  Massachusetts,  the  state  legisla-  ture is considering such a bill. House   Bill 1416, “An act relative to electronic   meetings and voting in condominiums,”   addresses the need that boards and own-  ers of condominium units have had over   the past year-plus to conduct community   business electronically and/or virtually.   Matthew Gaines of Braintree, Massachu-  setts-based law firm Marcus, Errico, Em-  mer, and Brooks, P.C. indicates that most   governing documents of housing associ-  ations were drafted decades ago and refer   only to in-person meetings of boards and   unit owners.   “There’s some question about all these   Zoom meetings that boards and unit   owners have been having for the last   year,” says Gaines. “Are they really valid?   So because of that, \\\\\\\[the New England   chapter of the Community Associations   Institute (CAI)\\\\\\\] proposed this legislation   that basically says, notwithstanding any   provisions in your documents that may   require in-person meetings, the associa-  tion is permitted to have Zoom or any   type of remote electronic board meet-  ings, electronic unit owner meetings, and   electronic voting.” Partially in response   to adaptations made during COVID, and   partially  to modernize  governing docu-  ments  to  reflect  current  realities,  this   bill “is trying to bring the condominium   world here in Massachusetts into the 21st   century,” Gaines says.  Nevada is also considering a bill that   would provide for electronic voting in   homeowners association elections. As-  sembly Bill 313 has gone through amend-  ments and passed out of committee, ad-  vises certified property manager Barbara   Holland in her weekly column in the Las   Vegas Review-Journal. “If passed,” she   says, “this will be an interesting regula-  tion and potentially a difficult regulation   as associations will need to protect the   integrity of the voting.”  COVID Immunity  In addition to the Herculean effort to   achieve COVID immunity through mass   vaccination, another type of COVID im-  munity is being sought by state legisla-  tures in the interest of community asso-  ciation leaders: immunity from  liability   COVID...  continued from page 1  continued on page 24   See us at Booth 333  179 Boston Road  Southborough, MA 01772  508-872-4054  Please visit us at booth #133  riversideservco.com


































































































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