丹佛city and county officials say they are moving quickly to determine exactly what happened and exactly who’s responsible for “tainting” the proposal process on a $233-million expansion of the Colorado Convention Center. The project will add a ballroom and a rooftop terrace, renovate the lobby, and upgrade the center’s technology.

该市于12月初关闭了承包商的选择过程，并终止了与达拉斯的开发商特拉梅尔·克劳（Trammell Crow）的900万美元合同，该公司的工作经理指控项目文件被错误地释放给了一位承包商决赛入围者。市政府官员还表示，“关于招标过程的讨论不当”，该项目计划可能已经改变。

特拉梅尔乌鸦我后不久就发表了一份声明ts termination, saying, “We are cooperating fully with the City and are conducting our own internal investigation. We will take internal actions as the results of our investigation dictate, including appropriate disciplinary measures.”

Trammell Crow confirmed that it has terminated an unidentified employee because of improper communications with a bidder. Long-time Senior Vice President Mike Sullivan’s contact information and bio were suddenly erased from the firm’s website this month.

丹佛市市长迈克尔·汉考克（Michael Hancock）在该市网站上发布的一封信中写道：“昨天，我得到了城市检察官和她的团队的简短通知。我们认为，这是对公众信任的重大违反，并且故意违反了竞争性招标程序。我们永远不会容忍承包商的这种行为，并将继续迅速而积极地解决这一行为。”

The city attorney has since asked the Denver District Attorney’s office to investigate the process, which was “irreparably compromised by non-city participants.” The city was preparing to interview finalists Hensel Phelps Construction, PCL Construction and Mortenson Construction when it uncovered the improprieties.

就目前而言，重点一直放在特拉姆尔·克劳（Trammell Crow）和莫滕森（Mortenson）之间的信息共享上。汉考克市长告诉丹佛的CBS4，两家公司之间的通信是“大胆的”。他说，他们“显然违反了竞争性竞标规则”。

该市没有提供有关指控的更多详细信息，检察官也没有指控或起诉任何可能涉及的公司。

However, Dan Johnson, president and CEO of Mortenson, told ENR via email that the company’s internal investigation is ongoing. He also said, “We have confirmed there were communications, initiated by Trammell Crow’s lead representative, with Mortenson team members that clearly were not appropriate when part of a public procurement. Those communications are unacceptable to Mortenson.”

约翰逊没有详细说明交流的性质，但补充说：“我们非常认真地对待这些指控，并保证与城市或其他当局的合作。…进一步的步骤将取决于我们审查的结论，并将包括其他公共采购培训。”

The city is requesting a review of Mortenson’s prequalification status for bidding on projects. The mayor said in his letter that Denver also will “seek legislation to enhance the scope of the city’s debarment ordinance.”

根据市检察官克里斯汀·布朗森（Kristin Bronson）的说法，这将需要市议会的行动，他告诉ENR，该市现在必须“重新启动[采购]过程的设计建筑部分。”新利18备用该过程需要雇用新的计划经理，重新发行RFP并选择决赛选手的简短清单。她说：“这里的过程已经损坏，我们需要减轻这些损失。”

Mortenson said by email that no “bid rigging” has occurred. “The contractor selection process for the Convention Center Expansion project was a proposal process, not a bid process,” Johnson said. “Thus, in contrast to some erroneous reports, there has been no ‘bid-rigging.’ ”

But Bronson says that Colorado state statutes define bid rigging “as any knowing participation in a selection process that involves cheating. It’s still bid rigging if that happens,” she says.

“We had sufficient evidence to terminate the program manager contract for cause and to review the prequalification status of Mortenson, and that process is moving forward,” Bronson says.

她说，雇用设计建造承包商可能需要几个月的时间。

会议中心扩张的建设定于明年开始，2022年末的完成目标。该市尚未为该项目建立新的时间表。