By Juan Montoya
With Brownsville Independent School District board president Cesar Lopez abstaining from the vote on a $3.7 million contract to install artificial turf on four soccer fields, a 3-3 tied vote prevented the district from awarding the contract to the only vendor considered for the job.
Paragon Sports Construction was the only vendor considered for installing the artificial turf on the four fields. Paragon was introduced to the BISD by Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas and championed by trustee Joe Rodriguez. No bids or Requests For Proposals were made by the administration.
"This is the best company in the world," Rodriguez told the trustees before the vote. "And I know more about this than anybody else at this table."
Rodriguez did not say how he knew. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, did not use Paragon on their field. They used an outfit out of Austin called Hellas Construction that has installed their turf at numerous other school districts. http://www.hellasconstruction.com/About/Testimonials/
Zendejas first introduced Paragon Sports to a Facilities Committee meeting last year where its representative was the only one allowed to make his pitch to install the artificial turf at two local high schools. No other vendor was considered. During that meeting, Zendejas – despite protests from the BISD Purchasing Dept. that the company had not been vetted – told the committee members that Paragon would do the job.
After the facilities committee meeting, Zendejas and then-CFO Lucio Mendoza confronted Purchasing Supervisor Rosario Peña and scolded her for sending an email questioning why Paragon had not gone through the normal procurement process. According to notes of that meeting Zendejas was said to be perturbed that anyone would question her motives for pushing Paragon. She told Peña that she had heard about Paragon from other superintendents "over coffee."
After that, the company was the only one considered for other installations of the artificial turf on other fields. So far, it has been paid more than $3 million. The item on Tuesday's meeting would add an additional $3.7 million to that total.
Trustee Phil Cowen – also the chair of the facilities committee – said he was reluctant to vote for the item because Paragon representatives had told the committee members that they would get discounts for the four-filed project.
"I don't see any discounts," Cowen said.
With Cowen voting "no," he was joined by Minerva Peña and Sylvia Atkinson to tie the "yes" votes of Rodriguez, Carlos Elizondo and Laura Perez-Reyes. The money to pay for the installation of the artificial turf was coming from the funds generated by the Tax Ratification Election approved by the voters of the district.
Lopez abstained because he is the regional supervisor of the TASBE Buy Board, a purchasing cooperative in Texas. Paragon Sports is a dues-paying member of the Buy Board.
The administration can now return with the item with other quotes from artificial turf installers for the board's consideration.