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Florida Denies Business to Distributor
Bill Parsons has been selling to the state of Florida for years, first as a Moore sales rep, then as secretary/treasurer of Anchor Business Forms Inc. in Tallahassee, Fla. But in July, after submitting the lowest bid for a project, Parsons was denied the business because Anchor is a distributor. Florida state law says, "Printing contracts cannot be sublet and shall be awarded only to Printing Firms. No contract shall be awarded to any broker, agent or independent contractor offering to provide printing manufactured by other firms or persons."
In the past, Anchor has not had any problems because it has an in-house print shop. But in this case, a direct-selling competitor, who submitted the second-lowest bid, told state purchasing officials that Anchor could not produce the new job in-house. The state sent officials to Anchor to inspect its facility, then denied Parsons the business. Parsons is now working with a friend who is a state legislator to change the law. State officials say they are trying to protect themselves from fly-by-night businesses that botch a job or go out of business before work is delivered. In the meantime, Parsons finds the situation ironic because he is a local small business owner who supports the economy right in Tallahassee, the state capital. Plus, he says, the state may consistently order printing at higher taxpayer expense if distributors cannot be awarded contracts. Parsons is interested in hearing from other Florida distributors who would like to assist him. In addition, he wants to talk to distributors who sell to state governments in other states to find out how state purchasing law is worded. Contact him at (904) 894-3676.