ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — KMOX reported this week about irregularities in the bidding process for a new telephone and video services contract for inmates at Saint Louis County Justice Center.
The St. Louis County Council scrapped the bill for now.
ICS, along with Securus, bid on the jail phone contract. ICS has the current deal. Ultimately, Securus was chosen.
For weeks, ICS President Tim McAteer went before the council alleging irregularities in the bidding process. In a letter to the County Council on Friday, County Executive Sam Page advised them he asked the Procurement Division to conduct an internal review of the process.
"I believe they gave it a second look because of all the accusations that were flying," Page said.
Sam Page has instituted a cone of silence regulation since the Stenger Administration and has suggested ICS may have violated that code. Neither Page, nor Chairwoman Lisa Clancy, could answer who would handle an ethics investigation.
"Unfortunately, the procurement office also has concerns that the proper procedures weren't followed to communicate the concerns by one of the bidders and they'll be reviewing that as well. That's something my office will be involved in."
The Acting Procurement Director Jennifer Keating responded back to Page and said irregularities in the process were discovered and she recommended the deal be canceled.