East Oregonian
Page 7A
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ODOT: Craig denied suggestions his relationship with ODOT would bias his review
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Continued from 1A
designs for the henhouse,” said
Portland economist Joe Cortright, a
longtime critic of ODOT’s manage-
ment of projects.
Cortright said the choice gives the
appearance state leaders are seeking
a predetermined outcome to the
performance audit. Craig has worked
on ODOT projects in the past and
could seek contracts in the future,
Cortright noted.
Craig said he was unaware that
the review is linked with passage
of a transportation package. He
also denied suggestions that his
relationship with ODOT would bias
his review.
“I think all of that enhances my
ability to see what is good and bad
and what needs to be improved,”
Craig said. “I think that is why they
hired me. It has never occurred to
me that somehow this would be
connected to pursuing more work.”
Craig has published articles
praising ODOT’s past work,
bearing titles such as “Delivering
Remarkable Results in a Changing
Marketplace: Oregon’s State Bridge
Delivery Program.”
Susan Morgan, a member of the
Oregon Transportation Commission,
defended Craig as independent,
and said she is conident that the
oversight committee “will hold
Mr. Craig’s team to high standards
leading to an independent review of
ODOT.”
“Given the short time frame to
completion, a consultant who is
somewhat familiar with the organi-
zational structure of ODOT may be
an opportunity,” Morgan said.
While the Department of Admin-
istrative Services ultimately was
responsible for issuing a request for
proposals and choosing Craig to
do the review, ODOT employees
already had recruited potential
consultants. Those employees also
asked several irms to give input
on what the review should include,
according to previous reports by the
Pamplin Media Group/EO Media
Group Capital Bureau.
Only two companies bid for the
project: Craig’s irm and Pennsylva-
nia-based Public Works.
DAS formed a procurement team
of three of its employees to score the
proposals based on the quality of
the executive summary, the irm’s
experience and approach to the audit,
the consultants’ resumes and pricing.
Barry Pack, former chief adminis-
trative oficer of DAS whom Brown
recently named interim director of
the Oregon Lottery, made the inal
call on the selection, said DAS
spokesman Matt Shelby. Pack also
served as a longtime aide to Brown
when she was secretary of state.
Brown’s ofice reiterated that she
has entrusted the oversight committee
and DAS to select an “experienced,
independent consulting irm.”
“This review will contribute to a
stronger and better ODOT to serve
the people of Oregon,” said Bryan
Hockaday, Brown’s press secretary.
Craig’s proposal scored 10 points
higher than Public Works’ in all areas
except for price. Public Works bid
$246,600, while Craig offered to do
the work for $350,000.
Craig directed the Nebraska
Department of Transportation
for 10 years before becoming a
consultant. Since then, he has done
management reviews of “best prac-
tices” for programs administered
by departments of transportation in
Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska
and Washington states, according
to his proposal. Public Works also
has evaluated several departments
of transportation, including those
in Louisiana, West Virginia, Iowa,
Colorado and New Mexico.
The request for proposal “clearly
stated that we wanted someone
with prior experience working with
departments of transportation,”
Shelby said. “John has worked with
ODOT and other states. We see this
as a beneit.”
Stakeholders expressed concerns
back in January about whether an
ODOT audit overseen by transporta-
tion oficials could be impartial.
Several advocates with environ-
mental and alternative transportation
groups in a Jan. 6 letter asked Brown
to hand over oversight of the audit to
the Secretary of State’s Ofice. That
ofice already conducts performance
audits for other state agencies.
“To ensure a rigorous and
unbiased review, the audit must be
truly independent,” the letter stated.
“With all due respect to the Oregon
Transportation Commission, we
believe the audit will be perceived
as in-house if it is overseen by the
Oregon Transportation Commission
and if ODOT staff is engaged in
scoping the audit and in hiring the
consulting irm that performs the
audit. An audit overseen by the
Secretary of State would alleviate
concerns about bias.”
The state’s choice of Craig to do
the review deepened those concerns,
said Chris Hagerbaumer, deputy
director of the Oregon Environ-
mental Council, who signed the
letter.
“The more in-house the audit is,
the less the people will trust that it
is actually impartial, and what is the
purpose of an audit that people don’t
see as being impartial? It isn’t going
to actually serve the state well,”
Hagerbaumer said.
———
Pamplin Media Group reporter
Nick Budnick contributed to this
report.
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