State lawmakers are taking a tougher stance on sole-source contracts, asking hard questions of state agencies and homing in on deals the state signed with McKinsey & Co.
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, sent Gov. Bill Lee’s deputy and chief counsel, Lang Wiseman, a letter seeking a copy of the contract the state inked with McKinsey & Co. during Lee’s first year in office for a study on streamlining government.
“I understand this did not go through the Fiscal Review Committee because it was a one-year contract. We are looking at certain reforms to the Fiscal Review process,” Gardenhire said in the letter.
Chair of the Fiscal Review Committee, Gardenhire has made it clear he is digging in on no-bid or sole-source contracts.
Of $1.27 billion spent during the first year of the pandemic, 99% of the liability stemmed from non-competitive contracts, according to a state report referenced by Gardenhire in the October Fiscal Review Committee meeting.