The state’s top government watchdog says an Ohio Department of Transportation district manager should not have aided a vendor submitting a bid for work with the agency.
Last fall, the owner of a tree service asked an ODOT employee to help him prepare and submit a tree trimming bid with the state, saying he was not computer savvy. When the employee explained that is not allowed, the tree service owner said another ODOT employee had helped him submit a bid before. That’s when the investigation of Hancock County Ohio Department of Transportation Manager Deidra Noel began. The Ohio Inspector General found Noel helped the vendor, but did not provide information that gave that bidder an unfair advantage. While no wrongdoing was found, the I.G. is reminding ODOT employees to be careful when vendors ask bid-related questions, to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
