Greenwood Commonwealth: State contract standard invites corruption

GREENWOOD COMMONWEALTH: State contract standard invites corruption

Mississippi’s “lowest and best” standard for awarding government contracts creates an avenue for public officials to award business to their friends and supporters.

What’s considered a “best” bid to those who are inclined to push government business to their cronies may not be best for the taxpayers.

By even the most liberal definition of “best,” however, it is incredible that the staffs of the state’s Information Technology Services Department and the corruption-scarred Department of Corrections have recommended that a $4.8 million contract be awarded to a company implicated in the Chris Epps prison bribery scandal.

Clarion Ledger
5/3/17