The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) has canceled a contract with a politically connected telecommunications company after public scrutiny mounted over the decision to issue a contract without a bidding process, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
- The CFTOD issued a $242,500 no-bid contract to Figgers Communication earlier this month to help update its 911 network.
- Freddie Figgers, founder of Figgers Communication, served with Disney district administrator Glen Gilzean on the Florida Commission on Ethics and both were appointed to the ethics board by Ron DeSantis.
- The district reported Gilzean was not involved in awarding the contract to Figgers Communication, however, the Orlando Sentinel shared an internal email that shows that Paula Hoisington, Gilzean’s chief of staff, introduced Figgers to Tiffany Kimball, the district’s purchasing officer
- “Tiffany please meet Freddie Figgers, Chief Executive Officer, Figgers Communication Inc. Tiffany, per our conversation please reach out to Freddy to discuss information needed for contracting.”
- When the state took over the district, DeSantis vowed to end “no-bid procurements.” The Orlando Sentinel reports a DeSantis spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
- Figgers requested the district open the contract for bids to “err on the side of caution” and ensure the “best value” for taxpayers.
- District officials lamented the decision to cancel and defended their rationale for wanting to expedite the project.
- Matthew Oberly, the district’s director of external affairs, said the now-canceled deal “follows all of the procurement guidelines. It was a critical urgent need.”
- The contract would have seen Figgers fixing an issue with 911 calls going unanswered, and Figgers Communication was able to meet the compressed 120-day timeline.
- Figgers Communication was hired to assist with “consulting, negotiating and requesting approval from state and federal regulators on behalf of the district,” according to the contract, as well as designing and “efficient call flow plan” that will enhance the district’s 911 network and eliminate routing through Orange County.
- An August report revealed Orange County’s 911 center was failing to pick up calls in time and missing state benchmarks.
- Orange County dispatchers reportedly picked up 80.5% of calls within 10 seconds in June, short of the 90% required by state guidelines.
What they’re saying:
- Ben Wilcox, research director at Integrity Florida: “It’s always better to have a bidding process.I don’t know if this is the only company that could provide these services. You can’t find that out unless you put it out there for a competitive bidding process.”
- Michael Rahman, chief intellectual property officer for Figgers Communication: “Our experience includes managing wireless networks and developing software and other related technologies. …This initiative falls squarely within the scope of telecommunications network and software technologies. Given our experience in these areas, we are well-equipped to contribute our expertise to ensure the success of this project.”