A handful of reporters and I participated this week in training that taught ways to track stimulus money awarded and spent in the Crossroads -- as well as how to investigate the contractors awarded with contracts.
The training just skimmed the surface of tracking this complicated federal stimulus package, but the skills should give us the chance to report at least a handful of stories.
You can now track local stimulus awards online -- and the capabilities on the Web will expand during the next few months.
We found, for example, that Victoria County, in cooperation with DeWitt and Colorado counties, shored $3.9 million for a project described as: US 90A Fr. 2.49 MI. WEST OF SH 71 To. 0.056 MI. WEST OF SH 71 ;ASPHALTIC CONRETE PAVEMENT.
This is the only stimulus money Victoria County, as of July 10, grabbed from the massive stimulus package. Of course, local government officials will presumably apply for more.
This bit of information, in my mind, is good enough for a story. We can dig further into the contractors awarded the money to look for patterns.
You can do the same. Following are a few Web sites you can search to track stimulus grants by state or county -- and the contractors awarded the money.
www.FedBizOpps.gov
www.USASpending.gov
www.Recovery.gov
www.EPLS.gov (to investigate contractors barred from receiving stimulus money)
www.AllTheMoney.org
If you spot anything you want covered -- or have any questions you want researched -- please let us know.
Thanks for your input,
Gabe Semenza / Advocate public service editor
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One thing that concerns me on locally awarded government contracts, unfair competition.
Maybe I’ve been in the sun washing my car for to long; I think I recall someone expressing concerns to me sometime ago that they think those who award these contract, sometimes may be, a little prejudicial.
I’m not talking about racist, mind you; but favoritism that disadvantaging the bidding processes. I think, maybe this person said something to the effect; that they wondered if certain persons involved in the bidding processes, allowed for certain businesses to be aware of the lowest bid, or something.
I mean, wouldn’t that enabling the contractor to out bid everyone else. I don’t know anything about nothing; I’m just running through ways in my mind that the system could be corrupted. Not saying anything you know, just being the devils advocate, so to speak.
Hey, it’s better to think of how things might be done wrong; to work on discouraging “wrong behavior”, you know. Maybe if our government had done a little more thinking on how things could get so wrong, they might have had a plan ready; instead of acting out of desperation.
“Forget about it”, I’m sure all the big contractors that were and are awarded contracts, do so without engaging in any unethical behavior that might cripple some small contractors competitive advantage.
No hard feeling, nothing personal; It’s my tax money along with everyone else’s being spent, so it’s my business that it’s being spent right, all right!
It’s almost time to pickup a card game; you know what I mean, it’s my thing ok. Keep up the good work fellas, you watchdog guys are all right.
July 24, 2009 at 2:46 p.m.