CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN) Tuesday May 1 2012 9:46 AM MT—Crain's Chicago Business is reporting that Chicago's Inspector General has opened an investigation into alleged irregularities in the awarding of a multi-million dollar contract for a bike sharing program.
Portland, Oregon-based Alta Bicycle Share Inc. won the $20 million contract. Two unsuccessful bidders have filed complaints with the city. Bike Chicago Inc. and Tracetel Inc.'s complaints center on city transportation commissioner Gabe Klein, who once was a paid consultant for Alta. Klein has said he recused himself from the bid selection process.
The losing bidders also point to Klein's one-time intern, Jeremy Pomp, who worked for Alta immediately before and after his stint with the city. Pomp's LinkedIn page says he "drafted $20M Chicago Bike Share RFP and financial model" while he was an intern with the transportation department.
A city spokesman told Crain's that "We feel very confident the procurement was run on a fair and transparent matter."
More: Crain's Chicago Business.
