Alternative Opportunities wins bid for Ava license office

After being rebid, the state license office in Ava is staying under its current management.

Springfield nonprofit Alternative Opportunities Inc. will remain the agent for the Ava office. The organization won the initial bid for the office in the fall and has managed it since Oct. 8, but the Ava office was one of 10 that was rebid because of incomplete information provided by the winning bidder during the first bidding process, according to a news release from the state Department of Revenue.

The new winning bid, one of two bids submitted, is for one year with the option to renew it for up to three more years. AO will return 2 percent of the office's revenue to the state, an estimated return of $1,595.

Ava was one of four license offices for which bids were due by Feb. 9; the other three - in Camdenton, Republic and on South Fremont Avenue in Springfield - were also among the 10 offices rebid. None of the other offices rebid have been awarded.

AO provides social services to the disabled, unemployed, foster youth and those struggling with substance abuse. The company employs 2,000 statewide and recorded fiscal 2008 revenues of $56.6 million, according to past Springfield Business Journal coverage.[[In-content Ad]]