The state’s prime watchdog has concluded that the MBTA confirmed obvious bias and favoritism when choosing a police dispatch vendor 5 years in the past, saying in a newly launched report that two different corporations had been unfairly iced out.
FULL TEXT: IG Report on MBTA
In a Wednesday report, Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro outlines a lot of issues with the T’s procurement course of, pointing to steps that had been taken to discourage competitors from the authority’s favored dispatch vendor, together with “problematic” communications between that vendor and a Transit Police committee member tasked with evaluating the validity of all responsive bids.
The report states that the MBTA and Transit Police favored the chosen firm, IXP Corporation, over two different corporations that responded to a 2016 request for proposals. When this bid course of didn’t lead to a contract, the MBTA contacted solely IXP, and never the 2 different events, when in search of respondents for a last 2017 procurement.
“Based upon our investigation, significant concerns were raised regarding whether or not the selection process was fair,” Shapiro mentioned in an announcement. “Furthering that concern, the MBTA’s poor recordkeeping and records retention practices meant that the authority could not conclusively demonstrate that its selection of IXP was free from favoritism.”
“That is not acceptable,” he mentioned, later including, “It is essential that the public have confidence in government when it conducts public procurements and expends the public’s money.”
The IGO Internal Special Audit Unit’s investigation discovered many of the fault lies with the extra unique last procurement course of, however does present obvious unfairness in how one of many corporations was knowledgeable of its rejection within the first spherical.
In 2016, the MBTA put out a bid request for police dispatch companies by itself enterprise heart web site, the place all corporations all in favour of doing enterprise with the T are notified of recent alternatives.
This explicit commercial notified greater than 1,000 corporations, however few supplied police dispatch companies. Ultimately, three distributors, IXP, G45 Secure Solutions and the Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center, responded, the report states.
The MBTA then fashioned a committee, consisting of 1 worker from the Transit Police and two staff from the T’s procurement division, to guage the three proposals.
While G45’s proposed value of roughly $1.12 million was decrease than IXP’s preliminary proposed value of roughly $2.49 million, MBTA staff opted solely to satisfy with IXP representatives to request a “best and final offer.”
This last provide, $2.02 million, whereas nonetheless increased than what had been proposed by G45, was deemed by the 2016 committee to be the “most advantageous to the MBTA, with price and other factors considered.”
The MBTA despatched letters to each rejected corporations, G45 and ECRECC, advising them that the T had discovered their proposals “to be non-responsible and non-responsive, which was accurate regarding ECRECC’s proposal, but inaccurate as to G45’s proposal,” the report states.
The T’s then-Fiscal and Management Control Board opted to not vote on a three-year contract for IXP in 2016, citing the monetary issues it would current for the MBTA, the report states.
Rather than attempt for a second vote, the T opted to shut the 2016 RFP and subject a brand new one. This time, nevertheless, the request was posted on the COMMBUYS web site, the place corporations all in favour of doing enterprise with the commonwealth are notified of alternatives.
In this occasion, 33 corporations all in favour of police companies, together with IXP, had been despatched e-mail notifications, however G45 and ECRECC weren’t.
In addition, the IGO’s audit unit couldn’t decide what number of, if any, of these 33 corporations, apart from IXP — the one vendor to submit a proposal — had been “qualified to deliver police dispatch services.”
The report additionally notes that corporations got much less time, 22 days vs. 58 days within the preliminary spherical, to reply, and that the 2017 RFP pared down the requested dispatch companies, leading to lowered staffing necessities.
Further, the report factors to “problematic” communications between IXP and a Transit Police committee member, that “reflect the Transit Police’s desire to hire IXP specifically and raise significant questions regarding the objectivity of the 2017 evaluation process.”
One such e-mail despatched by an IXP worker was deemed to be “impermissible communication,” and will have disqualified the corporate’s proposal from consideration, the report states.
The report additionally raises issues with the dearth of transparency across the contract finally authorised by the Fiscal and Management Control board. Members authorised a five-year fastened contract of roughly $4.82 million, however weren’t knowledgeable {that a} increased fee may very well be authorised for the 2 “potential option years.”
The last contract value was roughly $5.51 million, or 14.27 % greater than anticipated on the time of its execution, the report states.
In an announcement, an MBTA spokesperson mentioned the T was appreciative of the inspector normal’s report and grateful for his workplace’s oversight on the matter.
“As we work to restore public confidence under new leadership, we are fully committed to transparency and accountability,” T spokesperson Gabrielle Mondestin mentioned, including that whereas the authority has not taken a deep dive into the report, it understands that the doc has “identified potential areas for improving record-keeping and procurement processes moving forward.”
“As we continue working to strengthen MBTA operations overall, we remain committed to making appropriate changes that bolster accountability, integrity, and responsible stewardship of funding, including continued improvements in record-keeping protocols and expanded staff training around procurement best practices,” Mondestin added.
Further, she mentioned, “The public deserves assurance that every MBTA project and expenditure is fully compliant and in the public’s interest.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”