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Local AI firm CEO says grant exemption cost his company a county contract
Summary
Bernard Wright, CEO of Provista AI and former county CIO, told the committee a sole‑source award went to an out‑of‑state competitor and that the grant exemption was cited to bypass competitive procedures; county attorneys disputed that vendors' outside grants are considered in awards.
Bernard Wright, CEO of Provista AI, testified to the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee that an out‑of‑state company, ZeroEyes, received a sole‑source award for firearm detection services in a county courthouse and that the procurement cited a grant exemption as justification.
"A sole source award was given to my largest competitor, an out of state firm called ZeroEyes, for AI firearm detection services in our courthouse despite my strong objections," Wright said, adding he offered a no‑cost pilot to county IT staff. Wright said the episode motivated sponsor Council member Bouquet to file CB‑60‑2024 to prevent local businesses from being sidelined by exemptions.
Deputy County Attorney Sean Dixon told the committee the county’s competitive process does not factor a vendor’s external grant funding into the award decision. "The competitive process does not ask a potential vendor if they have a grant, and therefore, that's calculated in their award," Dixon said. Wright and other local business representatives urged the committee to consider legislative changes to ensure local vendors have meaningful opportunities to compete.
Committee members said they wanted the sponsor and administration to confer and return with clarifications; the bill was held for further work.
