An investigation by the inspector general has found the former leader of the Department of Early Education and Care unfairly chose a company to work with, IG Jeffrey S. Shapiro’s office said Wednesday.
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy worked with Illinois company Aim and Arrow in her role as Chicago’s Chief of Early Learning before heading the EEC for the Bay State and sending the firm over $2.1 million for strategic planning purposes.
The OIG found that EEC’s procurement of the Aim and Arrow contract violated 801 CMR 21.06, Competitive Procurement Standards, in multiple capacities, and that Aigner-Treworgy conducted the procurement process with “clear preconceived intent” of only selecting them.
The OIG found that EEC did not advertise its RFP for strategic planning services sufficiently and engaged in exclusive communications outside of the RFP process.
“Procurement rules exist to ensure that state contracts are awarded fairly and that all qualified vendors have a …