The duties that Sue Varney carried out for many years as Wiscasset’s assessors’ agent will not necessarily go to one person. In a post on the town website at www.wiscasset.org on Dec. 31, Wiscasset Town Manager Marian Anderson began seeking bids on the services from individuals or firms.

Attempts to reach Anderson for comment were not immediately successful. But Selectmen’s Chairman Pam Dunning on Friday praised the move as part of Anderson’s efforts to most efficiently address Varney’s several duties, including ones beyond assessing.

Among them, human resources has been reassigned to treasurer Shari Fredette, Dunning said. Fredette already handles payroll, so it makes sense for the same person to do human resources, Dunning said.

“I am impressed with Marian’s approach ... I am very happy that she is going outside the box and looking at different ways of doing things,” Dunning said in a telephone interview Jan. 2.

According to the request for proposals, Anderson, along with a selectman, a taxpayer and Varney, who retired Dec. 19 after 37 years of service to the town, will comprise a committee to evaluate the offers. Dunning said that as far as she was aware, Anderson had not yet decided who the taxpayer and the selectman will be.

Bids on the assessing services contract are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 2 and will be opened during the Feb. 3 selectmen’s meeting, the post states. The request seeks bids on a three-year contract to run from March 1, 2015 to March 1, 2018.

After the committee reviews and ranks proposals, a short list of bidders may be picked for further evaluation and possible interviews, according to the post. The contract will need the board of selectmen’s approval, the post continues.

Anderson’s request states in part: “It is the intent of the town to award the project to the most qualified and responsive individual or firm ... The committee shall be the sole judge of the individual’s or firm’s qualifications and whether the proposal is in the best interest of the town. Up to the time of the signature of the contract, the town shall have the right ... to reject any and all of the bids, to request re-bids for the work ... and to terminate consideration ... if deemed in the best interest of the town to do so.”

In addition to the town’s website, the bid request is also on Maine Municipal Association’s website at www.memun.org.

Anderson announced the request for proposals in a press release Dec. 31.