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SALT LAKE CITY -- The executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation said he has learned a tough lesson in the aftermath of paying out $13 million to a contractor who lost out on a bid for a major highway project.
"I could make excuses as to why I didn't (speak with the governor or lawmakers about the settlement), and it would sound like excuses," John Njord told the Deseret News on Wednesday.
Sitting next to Carlos Braceras, UDOT deputy director and chief engineer, Njord told the Transportation Interim Committee that he made a mistake in not including the governor's office or legislators about the decision to pay $13 million to a losing bid team to avoid what he felt could have been a much more lengthy and costly outcome.
News of the settlement came as controversy continues over whether campaign contributions to Gov. Gary Herbert helped the winning bidder for the $1.7 billion contract for the reconstruction of I-15 in Utah County.
Herbert, who held a news conference Monday to refute any suggestion he influenced that or any other contract award, was also surprised to hear of the settlement agreed to by Njord in January after Flatiron/Skanska/Zachry accused the state of giving the winners favorable treatment.
The winning bidder, Provo River Constructors, gave Herbert $82,500 in campaign contributions, including a $50,000 contribution from one team member who had two private meetings with the governor prior the contract award.
On Tuesday, Njord said the bid process was "very clean" but acknowledged he did not inform the governor or state lawmakers about the settlement because of the complexity of awarding road contracts.
Njord said his office makes big decisions regularly on contract projects and does so with considerable thought about the potential impact on the public's trust and the bottom line.
But he said he now knows he should have had more input from key government officials.
In the future, Njord said he is looking forward to bringing lot more people into the decision-making process to avoid any similar controversies.
"If this situation ever occurred again, I know what is expected at this point in time," he said. "I have learned that lesson."
E-mail: jlee@desnews.com
