ast year, Colorado handed out nearly $400 million in no-bid contracts. Amazingly, it is legal in Colorado for a government contractor to be awarded a no-bid government contract and then funnel campaign dollars to politicians who helped with the deal.
This crooked political game must be stopped.
Adams County commissioners recently were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They voted to give a paving contractor millions in no-bid contracts and were promptly rewarded with campaign contributions. Their reaction: “It’s all part of running for office,” Commissioner Alice Nichol said. “It’s the way of the world.”
It is not the way of the world.
In Colorado Springs, four government contractors were given secretive, no-bid contracts totaling over $1 million for city-owned Memorial Hospital. When a local reporter filed an open records request, the hospital and city refused to release the details of what the taxpayers were getting.The arrogant politicians say it’s for their eyes only.
There are almost $2.5 billion in bonding referendums on the ballot across Colorado this year. Most if not all of these bond referendums will be no-bid contracts for the bond dealers who are financing the campaigns.
Our opponents — well-heeled by unions in Colorado — have disseminated a lot of misinformation, distortions and even outright lies about Amendment 54. Their fancy television ads and glossy mailers do not change the truth. Amendment 54 is a common-sense proposal that does three simple things.
• It would create a bright line between no-bid government contracts and campaign contributions. No-bid government contractors would have to sign a legally binding contract that states they will not make political contributions to candidates or political parties during the term of their contract — making this a contractual matter, not a First Amendment issue like our opponents claim. This amendment simply forces government contractors to choose between a non-competitive contract and making political contributions.
• Amendment 54 would make no-bid government contracts transparent for taxpayers. Clean Government Colorado recently sent an open records request to all Colorado counties and the top 25 cities and municipalities asking for a list of no-bid contracts and their policies. Not surprisingly, some counties (like Denver) refused to provide the information. In fact, most counties couldn’t produce what we asked for.
Under Amendment 54, no-bid government contractors will be required to submit an electronic summary with the details of the contract and the state will be required to publish a statewide searchable database so Colorado citizens can research how their tax dollars are being spent.
• Amendment 54 would save taxpayers millions of dollars as a result of increased competition among government contractors. Increased competition and tax dollar savings are the windfall bonus of the initiative. We don’t mandate that government choose the lowest bidder, but we believe taxpayers will win if government opens up the competitive bidding process.
Vote “yes” on Amendment 54.
Tom Lucero is chairman of Clean Government Colorado, and is on the CU Board of Regents.
