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Board tables emergency AECOM program‑manager contract after local firms object; schedules special meeting
Summary
After several local and MWBE subcontractors raised objections — including claims of reduced local participation and alleged employee poaching — the Broward School Board postponed a vote on a proposed one‑year emergency agreement with AECOM and directed staff to negotiate accountability measures and return the item to a special meeting.
The Broward County School Board paused consideration of a proposed one‑year emergency program‑manager/owner’s‑rep agreement with AECOM after an extended public outcry from local contractors and board members.
At the Jan. 6 meeting, multiple local firms—including Keith, S. Davis & Associates, Bach and Corradino—pressed the board for transparency and asked the district to require stronger protections for local participation and meaningful accountability for project milestones. Dodie Keith, owner of a locally headquartered firm, told the board she was prepared to prime the contract locally if AECOM would not honor prior local participation arrangements. “If AECOM cannot honor their commitments to local businesses, Keith is prepared to prime this contract,” she said.
AECOM representatives said business decisions before and during the RFQ changed team composition; they said remaining partners are under contract and that their proposal still reflects 72% local participation and 45% MBE participation. "We have existing contractual agreements with Corradino, Bach and Garth," AECOM’s Michael McIntyre told the board and denied systematic poaching, saying one individual had applied and been hired after a posted opening.
Board members and staff raised multiple concerns: how performance and milestones will be tracked, whether the program manager can be held responsible for matters outside its control, and how to preserve local and MWBE opportunities. Legal counsel noted the board can require percentage participation and reporting but cannot dictate exactly which subcontractors a prime must hire because that would interfere with means and methods. Several board members pressed for a public, digitized master schedule and monthly progress reporting so the board and public can track cost, scope and schedule changes.
Rather than approve the contract, the board voted to direct the superintendent to continue negotiations (including with other qualified firms if appropriate) and return the matter with proposed accountability measures to a special school board meeting. The board set the next review for Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 03:30 p.m. and asked staff to provide options for measurable milestones and reporting. The motion to pause and return the item passed; recorded dissent (Dr. Zeman) reflected concerns about how to measure and assign accountability.
Outcome and next steps: The board asked staff to produce clear milestone reporting, a list of priority projects (including the ~47 projects with more than $1 million remaining), monthly progress reports and proposed contract amendments that add specific, measurable performance obligations and remedies. The board also scheduled a workshop to consider the procurement approach for a longer‑term replacement.
