FAMU's Cozy Affair with the Hollins Group

Were Castell and Debra within their legal boundaries when they awarded a contract for over a quarter of a million dollars to the Hollins Group? A search of the Florida statutes did not provide enough information to support FAMU on the no bid process they used. We did, however, find the following statement concerning emergency purchases:

F.S. 287.057 (5) (a)

The agency head determines in writing that an immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare or other substantial loss to the state requires emergency action. After the agency head makes such a written determination, the agency may proceed with the procurement of commodities or contractual services necessitated by the immediate danger, without receiving competitive sealed bids, competitive sealed proposals, or competitive sealed replies. However, such emergency procurement shall be made by obtaining pricing information from at least two prospective vendors, which must be retained in the contract file, unless the agency determines in writing that the time required to obtain pricing information will increase the immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare or other substantial loss to the state. The agency shall furnish copies of all written determinations certified under oath and any other documents relating to the emergency action to the department. A copy of the statement shall be furnished to the Chief Financial Officer with the voucher authorizing payment.

The following are unanswered questions: what two vendors bid on the Dean Search process? If Castell & Co. did not seek bids from atleast two vendors, then how did they define immediate danger to the public health, safety, welfare or substantial loss to the state of Florida? It would be interesting to see the argument they laid out to the Board of Trustees or even Chairwoman Challis Lowe.

We understand that there may have been atleast one board member who wanted to raise this issue at last Friday's (July 14th) "Emergency Board Meeting" but was repeatedly shot down by the chair under the guise "their wasn't enough time". Consequently, the chair and interim president used the old pass the buck, bureaucratic system that resulted in this item being lost in the shuffle. Maybe this can be investigated by Larry Tromly, Acting Inspector General and his new boss (Castell Ace Boom Koon) Rufus Little prior to the next scheduled board meeting. Ofcourse, non of us should hold our breath for an immediate investigation or answer. These two are still trying to figure out how former trustee Alston text messaged the board during the last meeting, and torpedoed their argument that the IG’s request for documents was “Much Ado” about nothing.

See: Dean's Search Contract; Emergency Certification; Hollins Group Invoice; Some Trustees noticed

How could the search for deans been classified as an "emergency" when many of the vacancies had been vacant for over a year?

Now the Hollins group has been awarded the contract to conduct the FAMU Presidential Search for nearly $150,000, plus expenses.