Concerns raised about $1.1 billion no-bid government contract to hand-picked vendor right before 2022 election

Video of Press Conference for Broadcast: HERE

Today, Georgia state leaders held a press conference call in the wake of a shocking audit that raised questions about whether Governor Kemp’s Administration “skirted” state law for political gain.

The audit revealed Governor Kemp’s Office of Planning and Budget and the Georgia Department of Human Services awarded a $1.1 billion contract to their hand-picked vendor in just seven days. According to the audit, Kemp skirted state law to do it, skipping a transparency practice that would normally take four to six months. Skipping that process allowed Kemp to give out the $1.1 billion to Georgians just weeks before the election. The company Kemp’s Administration hand-picked made $15.5 million to administer the program.

According to the audit: “A request for proposal (RFP) following state competitive bidding requirements typically takes four to six months, and up to 12 months for complex RFPs. The solicitation document for this program opened on August 25 and the supplier was selected on September 1.”

Speakers highlighted how the vendor selection process appeared to break Georgia law, the program’s many security and distribution failures, and the clear political motive the governor’s office had to illegally rush the contract.

“The audit found that the State hand-picked a couple vendors to ask for bids from and took only seven days to select a vendor for the 1.1 billion-dollar project,” said State Senator Elena Parent. “The Kemp administration clearly did not want to wait the four-to-six months for the standard competitive bidding process — clearly wanting to rush this process, possibly for their own political gain.”

“These transparency and oversight laws ensure Georgia taxpayers get the best possible deal: the best rate, the most qualified vendors, the best value for spending our tax dollars,” said State Senator Nan Orrock. “Tens of thousands of Georgians, all of them struggling to make ends meet, didn’t receive their benefits for one simple reason: because this administration chose expediency over ethics, corruption over competence, patronage over people.”

“In this case, the facts as we understand them are this. The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts – staffed by nonpartisan civil servants, with Republican-appointed leadership – determined that the Georgia Department of Human Services broke the law. The Georgia Department of Human Services – also staffed by nonpartisan civil servants, everyday Georgians, with Republican-appointed leadership – was asked if they disputed the audit findings. They did not, which is another way of saying they admit that the law was broken,” said State Representative Tanya Miller, an attorney. 

“I believe that the public deserves to have an impartial, thorough investigation to determine whether the facts and the law and the evidence as we have seen of some wrongdoing rise to the level of action,” said State Representative Tanya Miller.