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Fire department apologizes for contracting Koven Collective without required procurement steps; board approves payment
Summary
Baltimore's Fire Department presented an unauthorized $200,390 advertising contract with Koven (Koven/Koven Collective LLC) to support smoke‑alarm and EMS recruitment campaigns, acknowledged procurement and advertising‑threshold violations, and described corrective steps; the Board of Estimates approved the item.
The Board of Estimates on Oct. 15 approved a $200,390 payment and ratification related to an advertising and recruitment contract the Baltimore City Fire Department executed without required procurement approvals.
John Marsh, presenting for the department, said the fire agency retained Koven Collective LLC to run two campaigns: a smoke‑alarm education effort focused on older adults and residents with hearing impairments (so‑called bed‑shaker smoke alarms) and an EMS recruitment campaign aimed at EMTs and paramedics. Marsh described the contract's deliverables as including strategy development, creative design, media buying and analytics. "The agency determined that that funding would be best utilized to support a targeted communications campaign with two primary objectives," Marsh said.
The department acknowledged it violated the city's Administrative Manual (section cited in the presentation as 303‑01) and procurement rules that require Board of Estimates approval for contracts over $25,000 and public advertising or competitive advertisement for procurements above certain thresholds (presenters said the city’s public advertising threshold is $50,000). The department reported the agreement was entered on March 19, 2025, and that payment was completed April 1, 2025.
In explaining corrective steps, the department listed mandatory legal review for contracts before execution, a tiered approval process with oversight by senior fire executives, refresher procurement training for command and fiscal staff, internal contract performance tracking and milestone checks tied to payment authorization.
Comptroller Bill Henry asked whether the department would document the new procedures so future staff will follow them; Marsh replied, "Most certainly." The board voted to approve the item.
Why it matters: The item highlights a procurement control lapse for a public safety agency that had immediate operational aims — recruitment and smoke‑alarm outreach for vulnerable residents — while underscoring the city's effort to tighten contract review and compliance.
Outcome: The Board of Estimates approved the department's ratification/authorization item for the contract; the department committed to multiple corrective measures and to documenting new procedures for future staff.
Details recorded by the department included the start and expected completion dates for campaign deliverables: the older‑adult campaign scheduled to finish in November 2025 and the EMS recruitment work to conclude by December 2025.
