Thursday, January 30, 2014

Breaking News: IG Confirms MCPS Can Spend Without Documentation, Without Bids, Without Competition

How to spend $20 MILLION+ of taxpayer dollars:

Step 1:  Take a trip to London and a trip to Florida and a trip to Texas and speak in Washington, D.C. for 1 vendor

Step 2:  Pick that vendor's product as the "technology standard" (no documentation required)

Step 3:  Write check to vendor for $20 MILLION+

Step 4:  Do not take any competitive bids, do not compare products, do not shop.

According to the Montgomery County Inspector General (IG) the above MCPS procedure for procurement is in compliance with Maryland law.

The IG does say:
..."However, we did notify MCPS that lack of documentation supporting a standard may be subject to challenges by stakeholders and competing vendors, and could even present appearances of improper financial relationships."...

7 comments:

  1. Phew! Glad to see the IG office got that fat envelope of cash in time for the report. Thank heavens.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Confirmed: Competitors were not pleased with the Promethean - MCPS deal. We are wondering who exactly the Montgomery County Inspector General spoke to about this deal.

    What person in sales would happily watch their commission go away without any opportunity to compete for the sale?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Someone's taking money under the table.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Under the table? See links above. We've already been able to document trips.

      We know the London trip was paid for by Promethean and "partially" reimbursed by MCPS. Partial reimbursement = benefit from vendor for MCPS staff.

      Delete
    2. It's very upsetting that the IG can't determine that this is corrupt activity.

      Delete
  4. The IG forgot to mention that the MCPS Chief Technology Officer has an interactive white board installed in HIS OFFICE. Guess which brand?

    ReplyDelete
  5. The IG is a retired federal accountant. My impression is he doesn't think his job is to 'determine corrupt activity.'. Otherwise he knows he'd be out of a job PDQ.

    ReplyDelete

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