Lawmakers are calling for changes to Baltimore’s government contracting practices after a review by The Baltimore Sun found infrastructure jobs went $105 million over budget in the past four years.
State Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, suggested in a Facebook post that a contractor who goes over budget be disqualified from bidding on a city job for 10 years. Two City Council members said contractors’ track records should be scrutinized more carefully. And Baltimore’s comptroller wants the city to hire and train its own staff to do the construction jobs.
Ferguson said in an interview Tuesday that his online post was meant to spark discussion, not to propose legislation. But he has “real concerns about the incentives built into the procurement process” — which typically reward the lowest bidder — and called on the city to investigate instances of cost overruns and develop case studies on how to limit them.
“Now is the time to be looking at this issue in depth with a changing administration and an ever-tighter budget,” Ferguson said.
Democrat Catherine E. Pugh, Republican Alan Walden and Green Party member Joshua Harris face each other in the November general election for mayor.
On Wednesday, the city’s spending panel is expected to agree to pay $2.5 million on top of a $3.7 million contract for small water main repairs at various locations. It’s the most recent of nearly 400 projects to go over budget since 2012.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Luke Broadwater over at Baltimore Sun
