New Binghamton law cracking down on bad contractors

BINGHAMON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A new law signed by Binghamton’s Mayor, is cracking down on contractors selected for city jobs.

Last Week, Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham signed a law, that established responsible bidder requirements.

Under the new law, contractors are required to submit a questionnaire about previous projects, to determine if they’re the right fit for the job.

Some of the prompts ask the contractor about criminal history, performance issues, wage theft, or violation of labor laws during previous projects.

Kraham says the new law will keep downstate companies from coming up to Binghamton and will keep local contractors from being under-cut.

“There’s a phrase that every municipality across America knows, is that, you have to go with the lowest responsible bidder. Responsible is the operative word there. That we can’t have out of town, fly by night contractors, who are low bidding city jobs, and taxpayer dollars are going towards companies that don’t have the workmanship,” says Kraham.

Kraham says up until now, generally, the City would hire whoever was the lowest bidder.

Now, there will be more research and review of each contractor and their history.

Kraham says the law was a bi-partisan effort and was spearheaded by Binghamton City Council’s Michael Dundon.

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