Multi-million dollar contract to help Florida contact trace increases tenfold in less than 3 months

Multi-million dollar contract to help Florida contact trace increases tenfold in less than 3 months

A multi-million dollar contract to help Florida improve its contact tracing program has been extended, costing taxpayers up to ten times more.

Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone reports.

MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT TOHELP IMPROVE THE STATECONTACT TRACING PROGRAM HASBEEN EXTENDED, COSTINGTAXPAYERS TEN TIMES MORE!

LASTMONTH, CONTACT 5 INVESTIGATORKATIE LAGRONE REVEALED HOW THESTATE QUIETLY HIRED AN OUTSIDEFIRM TO RAMP UP ITS TRACINGEFFORTS.

NOW SHEPRICEY NEW DETAILS BEHIND THEELUSIVE CONTRACT.FLORIDASLOW THE SPREAD OF COVID-19THROUGH CONTACT TRACING ISGETTING FAR MORE COSTLY TOTAXPAYERS.

WESTARTED AS A $6 MILLIONCONTRACT WITH A VIRGINIA BASEDCOMPANY HAS BALLOONED TO FIFTYMILLION DOLLARS& IN JUST A FEWMONTHS- AS CASES STARTED TOSPIKE IN THE STATE.

1:03- THISCONTRACT REALLY SEEMS TO BESHROUDED IN SECRECY.

DAN BASWITH THE LABOR UNION,COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OFAMERICA-- REPRESENTS WORKERSOF MAXIMUS INC&THE CALL CENTERPROVIDER FLORIDA HIRED TO BEEFUP ITS ROSTER OF CONTACTTRACERS.

IN RECENT YEARS HESAYS, THE GOVERNMENTCONTRACTOR HAS BEEN ACCUSED OFUNDERBIDDING CONTRACTS&UNDERSTAFFING JOBS..ANDUNDERPERFORMING PROJECTS.3:14- WHATYOUANSWER- MAXIMUS CAN TRY ANDTAKE ADVANTAGE OF SITUATIONSTO EXTRACT EXTRA DOLLARS FROMSTATES FOR THESE IMPORTANTSTATE CONTRACTS WHEN THECIRCUMSTANCES ARE RIGHT ANDTHIS IS EXACTLY THAT KIND OFCIRCUMSTANCE.

ACCORDING TO THESTATETO PAY MAXIMUS $6 MILLION OVERFOUR MONTHS FOR CONTACTTRACING SERVICES TO“PREVENTTHE SPREAD OF COVID 19” BYMID JULY - IT EXTENDED TO AYEAR& ITS DOLLAR AMOUNTTHAN QUADRUPLED TO $27MILLION.

LESS THAN A MONTHLATER$50 MILLION DOLLARSCOMPANY EARNINGS REPORT THISMONTH - MAXIMUS TOUTS ITMONTH JOB IN FLORIDAMILLION DOLLARS.

DESPITENUMEROUS REQUESTS, FLORIDADEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAS YETTO PROVIDE US THE CONTRACTTO PCOVIDE US THE CONTRACTTO PCOPEDE US THE CONTRACTTO PCOPE OUS THE CONTRACTTO PCOPE OFS THE CONTRACTTO PCOPE OF WOTHE CONTRACTTO PCOPE OF WORKE CONTRACTTO PCOPE OF WORK DCONTRACTTO PCOPE OF WORK DETNTRACTTO PCOPE OF WORK DETAIRACTTO PCOPE OF WORK DETAILSCTTO PCOPE OF WORK DETAILS&OTO PCOPE OF WORK DETAILS&ORANANSWANSWERANSWER QANSWER QUEANSWER QUESTANSWER QUESTIOANSWER QUESTIONSANSWER QUESTIONS AANSWER QUESTIONS ABOANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUTANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT TANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THEANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THESERISING COSTS.

IN AN EMAIL, AMAXIMUS SPOKESPERSON TOLD US&“IT IS VERY TYPICAL FORCONTRACTS TO HAVEMODIFICATIONS SUCH AS ANEXTENSION TO TAKE SERVICESBEYOND THE INITIAL CONTRACTPERIOD OR CHANGES INSTAFFING&.TYPICALLY FORVOLUME-DRIVEN CONTRACTS LIKETHIS, THERE TENDS TO BE ARANGE OF POSSIBLE FINANCIALSCENARIOS THAT DEPEND ON THELEVEL OF ACTIVITIES.

IN THISCASE, THE TOTAL VALUE WILLLIKELY RANGE BETWEEN $65MILLION AND $75 MILLIO” THATMAY NOT RAISE QUESTIONS*I*THE STATE REVEALED MOREDETAILS ABOUT ITS PROGRAM&ANDITS PERFORMANCE 2:56- ICALLED IT A FAILURE, ICALLED IT ABYSMALL, ICALLED IT INEFFECTIVE, ICALLED IT EQUIVALENT TO NOTHAVING A PROGRAM.

MIAMI BEACHMAYOR DAN GELBER HAS BECOME ANOUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF THESTATEAND ITS CONTACT TRACINGPROGRAM AFTER WATCHING COVIDCASES IN HIS COUNTY OF MIAMIDADE EXPLODE.

HE DIDNFLORIDA HIRED MAXIMUS TOHELP&OR THAT ITS PAYING THEMNEARLY 100 MILLION DOLLARS TODO IT.

1:27- ARE TAX PAYERSGETTING WHAT THEYFOR?

ANSWER- 1:30- I DONKNOW IF WEWENOT KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT KINDOF JOB THEYDOES TELL US THEY NOW HAVE4400 TRACERS DOING THE JOB&BUTITMAXIMUS EMPLOYEESIS THIS HOW THIS IS SUPPOSEDTO WORK?

ANSWER- NO ITHOW ITS SUPPOSED TO WORK INFACT, IT FLIES IN THE FACE OFFLORIDALAWS.

PAM MARSH OF FLORIDAFIRST AMENDMENT FOUNDATION.7:39- THEY HAVE TO PROVIDEPERFORMANCE MEASURES SO THATWE CAN HAVE SOMEACCOUNTABILITY FOR WHAT WE AREGETTING FOR OUR MONEY AND ATTHIS POINT, ITTHE DARK, NOT IN SUNSHINE.

BUTWEWE ALSO ASKED MAXIMUS ABOUTHOW ITS PERFORMANCE INFLORIDA- ITS SPOKESPERSONWOULDNTHAT ANY PERFORMANCE DATADISCLOSED BY THE STATE WOULDLIKELY INCLUDE DATA ABOUT THESTATEPROGRAM&NOT JUST THISCOMPANYLAGRONE TAG OUT.WE'VE DEDICATED AN ENTIRESECTION ON WPTV DOT COM TOHELP YOU RE-BOUND IN THE WAKEOF THE PANDEMIC.

FIND WAYS TOMAKE ENDS MEET, MANAGE THEPRESSURE AND THE PROGRAMS THATCAN HELP.

YOU CAN FIND THOSERESOURCES BY GOING TO WPTV DCOM SLASH REBOUND.NEW RULES ON