May 19, 2011 2:40 PM

Citing a problematic bidding process, the East Hampton Town Board has decided to scrap a new system that had vendors compete for exclusive rights to coveted spots at local beaches this summer, hours before they were expected to accept bids on Thursday evening.

The Town Board convened a special meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss flaws in the bidding process that came to light in the days since the highest-scoring vendors were named at a work session on Tuesday.

Town Board members looked into the bidding process, which was used for the first time this year, after Montauk residents complained that the Ditch Witch stand lost out to Turf Lobster Rolls in its bid to have rights to a spot on Otis Road. Bid forms, Town Board members said, were flawed because they not specify the number of points criteria were worth to vendors.

Montaco Inc. won the bid for Ditch Plains Beach’s west parking lot; Paddy Wagon won a spot on West Lake Drive; Gin Beach Wagon won a spot on East Lake Drive; and Dune Doggie won a spot at Indian Wells Beach.

Those bids will now be set aside. The bids were vetted by a committee of local businesspeople based on criteria set by the Town Board, and were subject to approval by the Town Board at Thursday’s meeting.

Now that the Town Board has decided to change course, rules governing vendors will continue to be what they were last year, with vendors vying for spots on a first-come basis.