An audit of 60 Pittsburgh urban renewal design and construction
contracts released May 10 by Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb shows that 30
of those files are missing required documentation regarding project
advertisements, bid openings and evaluation and ranking of responding
proposals. Urban Redevelopment Authority Director Rob Stephany’s only response:
“There is room for improvement.” Of course, public and press requests for documentation
under freedom of information laws is a useless exercise if the documents which
should be in every public contracting file, by the agency’s own rules and
policies, are lost or were never created.
Lamb’s audit points out that Stephany’s files don’t
even include a checklist at the front identifying the records which should be
included in the file. This simple office procedure could lead to better record
keeping, or it could serve to point out instances where cronyism replaced “lowest
responsible bidder” as the criterion for selection of the winning contractor.
Lam’s audit report noted that “Compiling a checklist for the documentation and
including it in the front of the file may help keep track of the required
paperwork.” Duh! Maybe the absence of a checklist is the agency’s way of hiding
misfeasance from public scrutiny.
