Editor,
Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council’s Director Matt Ransom trusts David Evans & Associates (DEA) with another transportation contract.
Sadly, Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow, Vancouver Councilors Jack Burkman and Anne McEnerny-Ogle, and Washougal Councilor Paul Greenlee agree. RTC will pay DEA $137,600 to study C-TRAN buses driving on Interstate 205 and Highway 14 shoulders.
Evans mismanaged our Columbia River Crossing, allowing a “$50 million maximum” contract to balloon to almost $200 million.
Forensic accountant Tiffany Couch analyzed CRC spending, finding millions unaccounted for in David Evans’ bookkeeping.
Couch examined thousands of pages of electronic CRC documents. Beside the significantly over-budget contract, anomalies included misreporting costs to build interchanges and the bridge, thus inflating the need for tolls; misreporting funding sources to pay for the project; and millions of dollars in invoices lacking appropriate names and accounting codes to identify services rendered.
The Clark County political website www.Couv.com reported “In May 2005, the CRC signed a $50 million contract with David Evans to deliver a draft environmental impact statement for the project. The contract included large mark-ups for overhead and an assortment of other fees on top of labor charges. For example, one invoice dated April 17, 2007, David Evans listed its labor cost as $91,536, but the invoice totaled $280,291 after various mark-ups were applied. The CRC paid it.
“Couch also discovered that until August 2009, David Evans routinely added a 4 percent fee to subcontractor billings, a practice not stipulated in its original contract. David Evans received more than $1.4 million in income from these unapproved fees.”
Washington state’s Auditor identified $17 million in “excess and questionable costs” or “higher than typical and questionable charges.”
Clark County Councilor Jeanne Stewart strongly opposed this, asking why anyone would trust DEA. Port of Vancouver Commissioner Jerry Oliver voiced strong opposition. County Councilor Julie Olson asked why give a contract to a contractor with “questionable integrity?” County Councilor Marc Boldt was mainly worried “this would be a fiasco on the Lars Larson show.”
The RTC could have awarded the contract to one of two competing firms. The RTC’s own request stated, “The final decision regarding contract award will be made by the RTC Board of Directors. RTC reserves the right to accept any response or to reject any and all responses.”
A citizen asked Burkman, “Are you saying a history of shady dealings is insufficient reason to not award a contract?” Jack’s reply was “basically yes.”
This phase one study will lead to a phase two contract. You can bet Evans will get that second contract as well. This is an outrage.
John Ley
Camas
