Is the Silver Spring Transit Center the fruit of crony capitalism?

For decades government has relied on competition to award government contracts. Until relatively recently, large public works projects were always bid for construction. Until recently, professional services contracts for large public works projects (e.g. engineering design, materials testing and analyses, etc.) were awarded to the firm deemed most qualified among many professional service firms seeking the government contract. Competition for the award of large public works contracts has been the norm for decades--until recently.

Now public-private partnerships allow sole-source, noncompetitive government contracts. Government agencies can select a contractor to build a pulic works project rather than bid it for construction. Government agencies can award professional services contracts without competition from other professional services firms. 

The Silver Spring Transit Center is a public-private partnership. Why did Montgomery County select Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC? Why did they select Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it? Why did they select Balter Co. to inspect and test concrete and to serve as SSTC’s special quality inspector? Were political “contributions” part of the selection process?

It would be helpful to know the answers to these questions before another public-private partnership for a large public works project, the Purple Line, breaks ground. Unfortunately, we won’t know the answers to these questions without an independent investigation free from governmental, political, regional, and other infuences and/or biases. Nor will we get answers from news media that fail to do “in-depth reporting” and fail to ask “probing questions”.

Is the lemon Silver Spring Transit Center debacle the fruit of crony capitalism?

We may never know.