Some states have programs that favor certain categories, such as minority ownership of a business. In the aluminum auction, Pennsylvania sought recycled aluminum. Well, all the bidders offered recycled aluminum in various percentages. I think our requirement to get the bidding preference was that it had to be 10 percent recycled. The winning bidder offered aluminum with 95 percent recycled content.
Government officials can save money while watching vendors fall all over themselves.
For the vendor, it's not so pretty. Redding Anthracite Co. was one of the winning bidders in the daylong auction of 32 coal contracts. Deborah Fehr said it was a tense and not entirely satisfying day. It was very long. And she said her company would be back next time coal bids went on the electronic block.