A lawsuit has been filed by a longtime state employee in Missouri, Rodney Rice, against the state officials, alleging that they have subverted competitive bidding laws to favor World Wide Technology, a well-connected company based in Maryland Heights. The lawsuit claims that the state provided unfair advantages to the company in awarding IT contracts, leading to potential liability if discovered. Rice, who was demoted after raising concerns about the bias towards World Wide Technology, believes he was punished for exposing violations of state procurement laws.
World Wide Technology, founded by David Steward, a major political donor in Missouri, has been paid $53 million by the state in the last two years. The company has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that they uphold the highest ethical standards in the procurement process. Rice, who was appointed as director of the Enterprise Project Management Office, discovered what he believed to be a deliberate bias towards the company in state IT contracts.
Rice’s concerns grew when he realized that a former World Wide Technology employee was leading the State Data Center, which awarded numerous projects to the company. Despite not always submitting the lowest bids, World Wide Technology was awarded contracts and given preferential treatment, according to the lawsuit. Rice’s attempts to address these issues were met with resistance, and he was ultimately demoted or faced dismissal.
The lawsuit highlights the potential consequences of violating state procurement laws and emphasizes the importance of transparency and fairness in awarding government contracts. The Office of Administration and World Wide Technology have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
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