Politics
Columbus Adjusts City Contract Scoring to Favor Local Suppliers and Workers
Columbus residents employed by vendors bidding on city work will encounter new local preference scoring in contract awards beginning with the next round of bids.
How we reported this
The Columbus City Council passed the Procurement Preference Ordinance last month, directing city departments to award up to a 10 percent scoring advantage to bidders headquartered inside Franklin County. The change applies to contracts above $50,000 for construction, maintenance and professional services, directly touching the 1,800 local businesses currently registered as city vendors.
Why the Ordinance Arrives in 2026
City budget documents released in March show that Columbus spent $118 million on outside contracts in fiscal year 2025. Officials moved the ordinance forward after the state legislature adjusted shared-revenue formulas, leaving municipalities to stretch existing dollars further. The policy mirrors measures already operating in Cincinnati, where a 7 percent local preference has been in place since 2022, and Dayton, which applies an 8 percent credit on supply contracts.
Under the new scoring, a Columbus-based firm submitting a bid within 10 percent of the lowest offer can still win if its local-employment plan meets city thresholds. Residents who drive delivery trucks, install streetlights or maintain park facilities stand to see more of those contracts stay inside the metro area rather than going to out-of-county firms.
Daily Effects on Jobs and Neighborhood Projects
Concrete examples include repaving contracts along High Street in the Short North and HVAC upgrades at the Linden recreation center. Both projects fall under the ordinance once bids reopen in September. Policy analysts note that the 10 percent advantage matches the midpoint of preferences used by the five largest Ohio cities, positioning Columbus between Cleveland’s 5 percent credit and Toledo’s 12 percent credit.
The 2026 capital budget lists $42 million for street and sewer work that will now route through the revised scoring sheets. Local advocates note this could shift roughly 15 percent of that spending toward firms with Franklin County payrolls, based on historical bid patterns the city recorded last year.
Implementation begins with the August bid cycle. Departments will publish revised evaluation matrices on the city’s procurement portal, and vendors must submit new local-employment affidavits. The ordinance sunsets after three years unless renewed by council vote.