Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, crossed the Alabama Senate floor on April 16, 2024, at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery. On Thursday, Roberts voiced concerns about sole source contracts, where deals are awarded to a single company without public bidding.
During the Alabama legislative committee meeting, several state contracts related to education were put on hold due to these concerns. Roberts, who chairs the Alabama Contract Review Committee, said questions had been raised about multiple Department of Education contracts, but other non-education contracts were also affected.
I think we’ll hold all the sole source contracts today, Roberts said. We’ll meet with our group in about a week and a half and follow up then.
A spokesperson for the State Department of Education declined to comment immediately.
Tina Hammonds, the department’s counsel and government relations director, explained that one of the contracts, focused on career development and continuing education, was developed over time with a single company to meet Alabama-specific needs.
I’ve been working on this for about a year and a half, and right now, this is the only company that has developed this program, Hammonds said.
The committee also discussed contracts for training materials, professional development, English language learner support, and data literacy. Some lawmakers were concerned about the justification for using sole source contracts, citing the state’s history of long-term collaboration with specific vendors.
Hammonds explained that while the department typically opens contracts to competitive bidding, certain circumstances—such as changes in leadership in career and technical education—necessitated continuing with the current vendor for the school year.
After the meeting, Roberts emphasized the importance of keeping an eye on state spending and ensuring efficiency.
We want to ensure true competition, he said. We’re keeping a close watch on spending because tough times are likely ahead.