Nevada Magazine contract questioned

The Board of Examiners on Tuesday held off approving Nevada Magazine's printing contract for next year after questioning why an in-state printer can't be found.

The $1.2 million contract was about to be awarded to Banta Publications Group in Minnesota when Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa asked who was the closest Nevada bidder.

Nevada Magazine Publisher Rich Moreno said later that six companies responded to the proposal. Two of them are in Nevada, "and they were the highest."

Greg Smith of State Purchasing said a third bidder has a plant in Fernley, but its main offices are in Canada.

Del Papa said the state should favor Nevada companies in awarding such contracts. She said she doesn't believe there aren't printers capable of handling the job in Nevada. She pointed to major printing firms in Reno and Fernley. She said major casinos have marketing materials just as fancy as Nevada Magazine printed in the state.

Gov. Kenny Guinn joined Del Papa by agreeing the state should seek Nevada companies first for its contracts unless there is some reason no Nevada firm can handle the work.

"I'm going to hold this up because I want to be sure we're doing the right thing," he said.

Moreno said in an interview after the meeting Banta was selected because it was the lowest bidder and has printed Nevada Magazine for 10 years.

"We run like a business, and we've got to go with the low bidder," he said. "I've got to pay payroll and pay bills."

He said bid documents were sent to 111 printers, 41 of them in Nevada. However, he said, most can't handle the kind of quality needed and the volume -- 80,000 copies of six issues printed each year.

In a separate action, the board -- consisting of the governor, attorney general and Secretary of State Dean Heller -- approved spending $700,000 to add technology and multipurpose buildings to the new Lincoln County high school.

The state helped the county build the school with a $16 million bond issue. School district officials not only got the job done, they did it with $850,000 left over.

"You got a lot for your money's worth out there," Guinn told Lincoln officials.

They asked that the state let the school district spend $700,000 of the amount left over to add a high-tech center and the multipurpose facility.

"That would complete the facility," said Guinn.

The vote was unanimous.