The president of Firematic got back to me and this is what he had to say:
"We took every opportunity to review and prepare for the bid. Once the information was compiled, a business decision had to be made. It was my job to consider the dynamics of such a commitment and how it would possibly affect our future. So… to keep a very long and complicated story short. Pierce did not bid on the pumpers."
So I guess they didn't bid on the engines afterall

