First, D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown snatched a coveted committee from a nemesis. Now, it appears Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration has exacted its own brand of retribution. On May 25 and June 1, Department of Real Estate Services Contracting Officer Diane Wooden issued Banneker Ventures letters of “Intent to Award” two contracts totaling $630,000, according to documents obtained by The Washington Examiner. The company was to renovate Langdon Recreation Center and “build out” space for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Banneker offered the lowest price in two rounds of competitive bidding that drew 19 and 18 responses respectively.
DRES changed its decision. Government sources said Banneker was the victim of political payback — an allegation the Gray administration officially denied.
Banneker appears to have been on a hit list since 2009 when it became ensnared in a battle between then-Mayor Adrian Fenty and the Gray-led legislature, in which Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. played a pivotal role. After learning the company had been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract without the council’s approval, some legislators became enraged. According to sources, Gray, Thomas and others also were upset because the money was going to one company. Translation: None of their cronies was getting a piece of that action.
They subsequently accused Fenty of steering the contract; asserted Banneker was unqualified; and began an investigation. Gray and Thomas used that probe during last year’s campaigns to cast aspersions on Fenty, calling his administration one of the “most corrupt” in the District’s history.
But earlier this year, Special Counsel Robert Trout reported there was “no wrongdoing” by Fenty and the selection of Banneker and its partner was “reasonable and based on merit.”
Still, when Thomas — who had become chairman of the Committee on Planning and Economic Development — learned this year that Banneker could receive two new construction contracts, he pitched a fit, government sources said. Although they were won in a fair competitive process, he demanded the deals be squashed, they said.
“Banneker was informed by Wil Giles the order came directly from the city administrator’s office,” said Omar Karim, the company’s president. “I’m disappointed with the city.”
Giles, a DRES deputy director, refused to discuss the matter with me. Thomas didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“Special standards of responsibility, which were written into the solicitation, were deemed irrelevant to the project and unnecessarily burdensome,” said Brian Hanlon, DRES’ interim director, when explaining why the Langdon project was canceled.
But 19 companies responded. How burdensome could it have been?
Hanlon cited, as the reason for snatching back the OCFO solicitation, an obscure regulation requiring the lowest bidder to certify its staff would perform 50 percent of the work. “Upon review, the lowest bidder was deemed nonresponsible,” he said.
But Banneker was responsible for construction of that $35 million state-of-the-art Deanwood Recreation Center that everyone, including Gray, raves about.
“At no point was DRES instructed or influenced by any party with regard to these solicitations,” added Hanlon.
Do you believe that? Then, step right here to buy your bridge today.
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
