Business

AECOM Has Hard Time Justifying $370 Million Cost For Home Repair Program During Senate Hearing

Senator Kurt Vialet on Tuesday again showed why he was chair of the Committee on Finance during the 32nd Legislature. With AECOM, the prime contractor chosen by the Mapp administration through competitive bidding, telling lawmakers that cost so far for work on the Emergency Home Repairs Program totaled $370 million, Mr. Vialet sought to get justification on the stated cost. Randall K. Taylor, senior vice president and chief operating officer of AECOM's southeast region, told Mr. Vialet that 6,300 homes in total were repaired. These homes include both temporary and permanent fixes, with Mr. Taylor clarifying that 700 homes were part of the permanent repairs, while the remaining 5,800 were part of the temporary repairs program. Mr. Vialet divided the $370 million by 6,300, and found $58,730 to be the average cost for repairs on each of the 6,300 homes. "But more than 80 percent of the homes qualified for not more than $25,000," Mr. Vialet pointed out. Mr. Taylor said the additional ...