"Enough is Enough:" Franchot Seeks Crackdown on Late Contracts

For several months, the two Democrats who serve on the Board of Public Works — Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp — have complained that state agencies are flouting the state’s emergency procurement law.

Routinely, they allege, the panel is asked to approve seven- and eight-figure contracts long after contractors have begun work, a circumstance that undermines the board’s ability to make sure that the state isn’t overpaying for goods and services.

Although Kopp and Franchot have pressed their concerns with cabinet secretaries and top procurement officials repeatedly, in public and private, Wednesday’s agenda contained 15 more contracts for retroactive approval. Eleven were submitted beyond the 45-day grace period for agencies to submit emergency contracts to the BPW.

Franchot said agencies that won’t follow the law must face consequences.

Speaking at the outset of the panel’s bimonthly meeting, he ordered board staff to prepare a resolution that would “automatically terminate” future contracts that fail to reach the BPW in time.

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/07/28/enough-is-enough-franchot-seeks-crackdown-on-late-contracts/