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| FBI Investigates Chicago Harbors |
A five-year, multi-million dollar contract to run the city of Chicago's harbors, awarded last year by the Chicago Park District, has landed the District in hot water and placed them squarely under the hot lights of a federal investigation.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation will neither confirm or deny an investigation. The park district commissioners say that haven't been contacted, however, the companies that feel cheated by the contract have been talking.
FBI agents have been questioning whether or not the park district did anything underhanded when it awarded a management contract to a company called Westrec that leaves them responsible for overseeing operations at nine harbors in the city. Westrec collects boating fees, is responsible for the upkeep of the harbors and maintains the harbor equipment on land and water.
Three other companies bid on the contract. One of the other companies has met with FBI investigators several months ago. "Questions along the line of 'was this a fair and legit process, was it set up correctly'?" Greg Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business told CBS2. "The other companies are crying foul. They suggest the decks are stacked and, as one guy put it, it's not a level playing field."
"I think they were treated fairly and their proposals just weren't as good as Westrec," Superintendent Timothy Mitchell of the Chicago Park District told CBS2. "Westrec got the bid because it went through the RFP and the review committee reviewed it and felt it had been the best proposal."
Bidders on the contract also noted that Westrec gained an advantage by merging with Brunswick. Park officials denied that this had anything to do with the awarding of the contract.
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