On Talk Radio, RIDOT’s Alviti Claims 146 Bid Info Was “Illegally” Obtained
Friday, April 29, 2022
Ten days after a GoLocal investigation unveiled that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) awarded a $167 million bid to Skanska and JH Lynch — a bid that was $34 million than the lowest bid and $47 million more than RIDOT staff had estimated — RIDOT Director Peter Alviti took to talk radio and claimed that the information about the bids was "illegally" secured.
On a radio appearance on a WPRO talk radio show hosted by Gene Valicenti on Thursday, Alviti said regarding RIDOT documents being publicly disclosed, "Well, people who either are obtaining information illegally or obtaining information through back channels [but] it's wrong."
But when Alviti’s office was asked to explain what public documents were “obtained illegally” the agency did not respond.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAlviti in his interview on the radio said that the unveiling of the bidding information was due to dissatisfied bidders.
“There's a lot of misinformation and a lot of it's being conjured up I think by maybe people who did not receive favorable consideration on this project,” said Alviti.
The public documents secured by GoLocal unveiled that the final bids showed that RIDOT picked the highest bidder of an out-of-state company.
Alviti praised Skanska — a company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
“My gosh, that certainly is the right decision and the people of Rhode Island will finally benefit by getting a higher quality contractor providing a better final product on time in our budget and assuming all of the risks for that instead of shifting it to the taxpayers of the state, like contractors have traditionally done in the state,” said Alviti.
According to documents secured by GoLocal:
Final Bids
Skanska/JH Lynch final bid: $167,400,146.00
Barletta/AETNA Bridge Company final bid: $144,668,000.00
Cardi Corporation final bid: $132,999,150.00
The Skanska bid was not only tens of millions of dollars higher than the two other companies, but one line item raises significant questions.
One Line Item - Price Difference $16M Higher Than Lowest Bidder
One line item in the Skanska and JH Lynch bid — the cost of managing the utility lines — was more than $16 million higher than the two other bidders. The two other finalist bidders Barletta in conjunction with AETNA bridge and Cardi Corporation bid substantially lower.
Skanska bid: $17,000,000.00
Barletta bid: $5,249,900.00
Cardi bid: $260,000.00
“The Skanska/Lynch proposal mitigates several risks based on the alternative concepts the[y] put forth. For instance, Skanska/Lynch identified other potential utility relocation work that may be needed compared to the base technical concept and assumed responsibility for such work as part of their proposal,” Charles St. Martin, the spokesperson for the Department told
State Senator Calls for Investigation
Senator Gordon E. Rogers, (R-Dist. 21, Coventry, Foster, Scituate, West Greenwich) said in a statement he "was stunned when he learned RIDOT awarded a contract for work on Route 146 to the highest bidder – which will cost taxpayers $35 million more than a lower bid proposal."
“There is no question the work to reconstruct Route 146 is necessary for repair, maintenance and safety but I have a real problem with the winning bid costing taxpayers $35 million more than a lower bid by a reputable company,” Rogers said.
Rogers said, “I hope my colleagues in the Senate will conduct immediate oversight hearings into the bidding process for the 146 project. We need to determine why the winning bidder is costing taxpayers $35 million more than other respectable companies. RIDOT spends tons of taxpayer dollars and the way they spend it is deserving of scrutiny.”
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