AG Coakley's Office Launches Bid Protest Document Search on AG Website

BOSTON - In an effort to bring greater transparency and access, Attorney General Martha Coakley has announced that bid protest decisions regarding public construction contracts in the Commonwealth will now be available online. The Bid Protest Decision Lookup is a new feature on the AG's website and is part of a comprehensive effort by the AG's Office to provide more online access to information for the construction community and members of the public. The database covers the AG's bid protest decisions going back to 2003, with a variety of decisions from 1989-2002. The Office is in the process of putting the remaining bid decisions from 1989-2002 on the website as well. Bid decisions are organized by year and the decision date, with the most recent decision at the top.

"Bid protest decisions play an important role in the public bidding process of public projects. These decisions help to ensure that public construction contracts are awarded in a fair and transparent manner and that public funds are spent only after a competitive process aimed at ensuring that contracts are awarded to the lowest, responsible and eligible bidder," AG Coakley said. "Our bid decisions provide guidance to state agencies, cities and towns, and contractors regarding the public construction bidding laws and provide insight to citizens into the ways in which their tax dollars are both spent and safeguarded."

The Attorney General's Office plays a unique role in the enforcement of the public bidding laws. Since 1993, with the transfer of enforcement of the public construction bidding laws from the former Department of Labor and Industries, the AG's Bid Unit has been enforcing the bidding laws. As part of its investigations, the Bid Unit often holds bid protest hearings and issues decisions concerning its findings. For more information on the AG's role in enforcing the state's public bidding laws, visit the office's website here.

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