The Missouri attorney general’s office is asking a Cole County judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging a state agency violated competitive bidding laws to steer lucrative technology contracts to a well-connected company.
The lawsuit, filed in May by a longtime state employee named Rodney Rice, alleges “deliberate bias” toward St. Louis-based World Wide Technology in awarding state IT contracts.
World Wide Technology is one of the largest privately-held companies in the country. It was founded by David Steward, a prolific Missouri political donor who has contributed $2.3 million to mostly Republican campaigns over the last decade.
The company has been paid $53 million by the state over the last two years.
The state gave World Wide Technology numerous unfair advantages over its competitors, Rice alleges in his lawsuit, violating state procurement law and exposing the state to potential liability if anyone found out.
When he brought his concerns to his supervisors, Rice alleges he was admonished for being an “obstructionist” and demoted.
Both World Wide Technology and the Office of Administration, which handles contracting for state government, deny the accusations.
In a motion filed last week, Assistant Attorney General Justin Mettlen argues that the allegations made by Rice do not violate any law, rule or regulation. Any alleged “mismanagement,” Mettlen contends, merely represents a disagreement between Rice and his supervisor’s decision making in procurement and awarding...
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