Editorial: Allegheny County Jail dispute shows peril of no-bid contracts
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Bidding — the act of releasing information about a product or service that is needed and soliciting providers to make an offer — is a time-honored practice in both private businesses and the public sector. Government loves bidding projects because in a perfect world, it keeps costs down and quality up. Does that always work? No. But as Winston Churchill said of democracy, it’s the worst system except for all the others.
“All of the others” in this instance means no-bid contracts.
No-bid isn’t just a bad idea because the buyers have no competition to keep the cost down. Their failings highlight another benefit of bidding — vetting.
Bids can include safeguards like proving a track record or having a bond or insurance to guarantee performance.
And perhaps that is something Allegheny County is learning as questions arise about a no-bid contract for the jail.
Joseph Lee Garcia was brought in to provide training for corrections officers. Warden Orlando Harper said this was necessary after county residents voted in a May referendum to ban measures like chemical weapons and restraint chairs.
But the contract from more than $300,000 was not put to bid for other providers to offer their services, represent their qualifications and compete on a level playing field.
The Tribune-Review has found Garcia to have a list of lawsuits, federal tax liens and a foreclosure in recent years. At the same time, four separate sheriff’s offices in Virginia — all of which where Garcia claimed to have been on staff — have confirmed that he was never on the payroll.
These are just issues of vetting and do not touch at all on the practices being taught, like use of concussive grenades and eye gouging. One could argue that the voters in May who felt leg irons were a bridge too far would probably feel similarly about these actions, but the service being provided is barely the problem.
The Jail Oversight Board has requested information as simple as Garcia’s resume weeks ago. It has not been received. That is a problem, but it is just an extension of the same lack of information begun with the no-bid contract.
Controller Chelsa Wagner’s office said that Garcia has been paid $25,000 of his contract, and the county has already paid $20,000 of $93,000 worth of “less lethal” ammunition, and $28,000 for shotguns. That is a lot of money to lay out without the kind of basic background checking that would be done for any entry level job.
There is a reason to do a no-bid contract. They can cut through red tape in emergencies, getting the job done fast when speed is the most important commodity.
This was not an emergency. There was time to get bids. There was time to vet the bidders. This contract fell down on both responsibilities to the voters.