Lawmakers Question DOA Role After Lottery RFP Delay, Cite Senate Bill 51 Exemption

At a legislative committee hearing, Department of Administration (DOA) Director Giles told legislators the agency advised Montana Lottery Director Brown to —give the incumbent proposal a look— before pursuing a full request-for-proposals process, citing technical procurement issues and a statutory exemption created by Senate Bill 51.

Giles said DOA administers statewide procurement and provides technical review and legal support for agencies. "I have 20 plus years in government contracting, and I'm a lawyer as well," Giles said, and noted DOA handled about 300 contracting actions in 2024. He told the committee a modern, large RFP for lottery systems typically costs about $250,000 to produce and can lead to litigation that adds substantially to expense.

The exchange grew tense after several legislators and lottery commissioners said the Lottery Commission had already voted in September to pursue an RFP. Lottery Commissioner Metropolis told the committee the commission made a unanimous decision in September to pursue the RFP option and stressed "the commission is the boss at the lottery," citing the commission's supervisory role under the Constitution. Metropolis and other commissioners said they were surprised in December to learn an alternative contracting track had been under consideration.

DOA de…