Joint interim committee reviews 36 state contracts; ABC warehouse systems, education sole‑source, brownfield work highlighted

A joint interim committee of the Alabama Legislature on May 1 reviewed 36 contracts from multiple state agencies, including three agreements for a new Alabama Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) central warehouse, a sole‑source computer‑science training contract for K‑12 teachers and several federally funded environmental cleanup extensions. Committee members said one contract could not be completed and the agenda otherwise covered procurement renewals, time and money amendments, and RFP selections across state departments.

The committee, chaired by Senator Roberts, heard presentations from agency representatives and staff but the transcript does not record any formal roll‑call votes or final outcomes for the items shown. Committee members repeatedly asked for additional paperwork or follow‑up details on specific items; staff said some procurements will be re‑RFP'd in coming years.

David Peacock, chief general counsel for the Alabama Alcohol and Beverage Control Board, told the panel the ABC submissions consist of three linked contracts responding to a single RFP for equipment, material‑handling systems and software for a new central warehouse being built by RSA on Congressman Dickinson Drive. "These are a joint response to an RFP ... The is DMWH, what I'll call DMWH, which is a design build install contract to provide detailed engineering services equipment supply, material handling component installations, software implementation ..." Peacock said. He described the three components as a design/build/install contract, a warehouse control system and a warehouse management/integration contract, and a separate financing component.

Education contracts drew scrutiny because one award was sole source. An education official said the contract with A Plus Education Partnership is 100% state funded and will provide computer‑science professional learning for K‑12 teachers and help develop statewide curriculum materials. Mark Dixon of A Plus Education Partnership told the committee that A Plus is the state’s regional partner for code.org and that the contract aligns with the Alabama Computer Science Act of 2019. "...A plus Education Partnership is gonna be the solecode.org regional partner in our statewide K12 hub," Dixon said, explaining why the vendor met the statutory and program requirements.

The Department of Education also presented a separate RFP selection: WestEd won a competitive procurement in which the RFP was sent to 232 vendors and received six responses. WestEd will conduct a needs assessment and develop a leadership system and supports tied to the state’s principal mentorship work, including rubrics, training and a Delphi study.

Russell Kelly of the Department of Environmental Management asked the committee to consider three consultant contract extensions tied to cleanup of abandoned tank sites under a federally funded LUST (leaking underground storage tank) program. "It's federal funds that we use there. There's no responsible party. We're running out of funds. ... this is a time extension and a money extension ... we will re‑RFP in '27," Kelly said. The department also presented an EPA‑funded Phase‑2 brownfield contract to perform monitoring and sampling intended to assess contamination and inform corrective action or use covenants.

Sandra Howard of the Department of Public Health presented two survey contracts for long‑term care facility oversight. One contract, listed as CertiServe LLC, was shown at $3,400,000; a second, to Healthcare Management Solutions LLC, was listed at $2,250,000. Howard said both firms will perform federally required surveys for nursing homes, dialysis centers and facilities serving people with intellectual disabilities. "Both contracts ... are for the companies to perform surveys for the department for long term care facilities," she said.

Transportation officials described multiple contracts, including two geotechnical contracts for the Birmingham Northern BeltLine, on‑call transportation support services statewide and a statewide planning contract. Matt Leverett of the Alabama Department of Transportation told the committee one contract originated from an RFP issued in 2018 and that the department expects to issue a new RFP before the current contract ends (noted as expiring in January 2026).

Other items reviewed included: - A no‑cost time extension for architecture work on the State Capitol (Finance). Taylor Nichols, Finance Department, presented that item. - A Forestry Commission emergency replacement of a failed boiler at commission headquarters (Morris Davis Engineering); Hank Birch noted the vendor contract was to address an urgent equipment failure. - A corrections presentation of multiple open‑ended engineering contracts for a two‑year DCM (Department of Corrections) list (Mandy Spears). - A Department of Youth Services sole‑source annual license for a validated screening instrument. Dudley Perry said the instrument is validated and that the validation process makes comparable alternatives difficult to find, so the department treats it as sole source. - Legal services continuations and an outside counsel renewal for defense of correctional officer litigation (Clay Crenshaw, Attorney General’s Office), and multiple agency time extensions and amendments (Historical Commission, Human Resources, Treasurer and others). - A continuation contract at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for services with no state funds involved (Robert Labranche).

Committee members repeatedly requested clarifications on paperwork and scope. For example, with the historical commission amendment, a committee member said prior paperwork problems made staff assistance necessary before the item could proceed. With a transportation expert‑witness contract the committee asked for location and scope details because the proposed expert rate exceeded typical caps.

The transcript shows committee staff and agency representatives noting next steps for several items: Environmental Management plans to re‑RFP clean‑up contracts in 2027; department staff said they would provide fuller wording for federal program acronyms and the Department of Education echoed openness to competitive procurement where feasible. The committee adjourned and said it will reconvene in June.

Questions raised, contract amounts presented, and the scope of action on many items were limited to what agency presenters stated; the transcript does not show committee votes or final approvals for the items reported.

Ending: The committee recorded that 36 contracts were on the agenda and that one contract could not be worked out; members said they will return in June and expect additional documentation or revised paperwork on several items.