Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Tuesday at the Massachusetts State House, the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight held a hearing on what's being called a 'flawed' MassDOT procurement.
The details behind the state's attempt to award a nearly $1 billion contract to redevelop and run 18 Service Center Plazas across the state for the next 35 years were discussed at the hearing.
Inspector General Jeff Shapiro said while his office found no laws were broken, there were several problems that included inadequate conflict of interest controls. "While MassDOT created a procurement process and established a framework for conducting the procurement, it could have resulted in a consistent and fair basis to evaluate proposals."
"MassDOT did not follow its own procedures when executing the plan," he said.
The report was also critical of the way the selection committee members didn't follow certain directions.
Interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng said none of the previous members will participate in the new procurement process. "As an agency, we will tighten up our procedures, our processes, and our training."
Shapiro said his office made several recommendations for MassDOT as it rebids the contract.
MassDOT issued this response: "We have previously reviewed the Inspector General’s report and his recommendations ahead of the upcoming procurement. MassDOT remains committed to modernizing all service plazas to better serve residents and visitors."
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.