From the Daily News:Early this month, mega-builder Bovis Lend Lease was on track to win a contract to build a new 1,200-student high school in Brooklyn.
But then came word that prosecutors had hit the Australian-based giant with subpoenaes in an expanding criminal probe of payroll and billing irregularities.
The School Construction Authority quickly rejected Bovis' $72.7 million bid, saying it will move to hire the next lowest "responsible" bidder.
That bidder has yet to be chosen, but the cost to taxpayers will jump by at least $62,000.
The cost for Bovis - one of the biggest players in the construction industry in the world - could be far steeper.
Government agencies could bar them from future contracts. Some could even cancel ongoing jobs if wrongdoing is found to have taken place at those sites.
Investigators are now scouring records to see if Bovis employees schemed to inflate bills or pay ghost employees, according to several sources familiar with probes by U.S. attorneys in both Manhattan and Brooklyn.
At the moment, prosecutors are looking at what went on at five New York City jobs, some of which are ongoing: the Sept. 11th memorial, a new wing of New York University Hospital, the new Citi Field stadium, a mall in Rego Park, Queens, and demolition of the former Deutsche Bank tower at Ground Zero, the sources said.
4 comments:
Once Bovis makes a giant "contribution" to ACORN, the US Attorney will drop the case.
Hey..."Bovis" built Wilpon's "City (shitty) Field"!
Open up their books....both sets!
Every day, I look out to see if the damn thing collapsed yet!!!
For a case involving the construction of a school, it seems like a very uneducated and immature decision.
Teachers:
"Hey, we're teachers right? So let us just tell one of the most world renowned builders that they are irresponsible! Wow, we are smart!"
I hope they asked they're lower more "responsible" bidder to make sure the proper structural calculations were paid for in that lower bid... don't want the building to fall down on all those kids! Oh wait, then they can just blame the builder again right?
P.S. you pay for quality, lower bids mean you usually don't get what you want.
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