Consultant shakeup fight at NTTA reported

Dallas Morning News' transportation reporter Michael Lindenberger reports that North Texas Tollway (NTTA) staff have recommended dropping Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA) for C&M Associates for the Authority's  traffic and revenue forecasting work. The recommendation was presented to the board at their public meeting Thursday by chief financial officer Janice Davis.

Lindenberger reports Davis five-page powerpoint in favor of C&M was poorly received by the board. They are portrayed as "scolding" her for scant information about the the background and performance of C&M.

Apparently she responded saying staff would explore whether bidding for the T&R contract could be reopened and the pool of bidders expanded. Only WSA and C&M had bid.

The NTTA has been criticized for an over-cosy relationship with established consultants like WSA, and has recently been competing contracts that previously were automatically renewed or at least bid in an atmosphere that discouraged competitors. The charge is that NTTA has been spending many millions more than necessary on consulting work as a result of failing to seriously compete the work.

There have recently been shakeups.

HNTB recently lost their job as general engineering consultants to NTTA. Two smaller firms now share the work.

And NTTA's legal work is no longer done by a long established Dallas firm Locke Lord Bissell and Liddel. It is being farmed out to different law firms on an as-needed basis.

Some of the NTTA relationships with consultants go back to 1962 and its founding as the Texas Turnpike Authority.

TOLLROADSnews 2010-07-02