Gov’t House backs PFA, ODR in recent lawsuit over $137M contract

ST. CROIX — A Government House spokesperson has deferred questions about an alleged improper $137 million contract to oversee the territory’s disaster recovery during a press briefing on Monday.

A construction firm with offices across the globe sued the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority and Disaster Recovery Office last week, alleging that a three-year, $137 million construction management contract was improperly awarded to engineering firm CH2M. The plaintiff, Hill International, claimed that the company could have done the work for about $30.3 million. Hill also alleged that the Virgin Islands’ request for proposal indicated that at least two firms would be selected to oversee the territory’s multibillion-dollar recovery effort and that there was a conflict of interest in the selection process.

Asked about the lawsuit during a briefing on Monday, Government House spokesperson Richard Motta Jr. said that the Public Finance Authority issued a statement to clarify “whatever misconceptions there may be around this” and that they followed procurement procedures.