Yesterday, Governor Carcieri met briefly with [RI State Police Superintendent Brendan] Doherty to request the opening of an investigation. The Governor’s staff also contacted U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente to discuss the potential for a federal investigation. Additionally, in a telephone conversation with the Governor’s staff, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) promised to also begin a review.

In expressing his concerns, the Governor cited three specific problems. First, he noted the discovery that a senior DOT employee, Ed Parker, participated in the decision to award a major contract to a company called Plexus, which is owned by his step-nephew.

Secondly, as part of the same contract, he noted that another senior DOT employee changed the evaluation scores on the different bids in order to strengthen the case for hiring [Providence-based] Plexus. While Plexus already had the highest score, this employee gave them additional points so that the company would even more clearly outscore its competitor.

Thirdly, the state’s review of DOT contracts has found a number of instances of contracts that have been repeatedly extended over time, without new bids. For instance, the Plexus contract, began in 1997, as a $1.1 million contract to provide a project tracking system for the DOT. Ten years later, the contract had grown to $8.5 million...