The Baltimore Sun published an article about the company that is supposed to rebuild and manage two travel plazas on Interstate 95. Two companies that also bid on the contact are upset that Areas USA Inc. was selected and feel that the bidding process was not very fair.
I have been at the travel plazas before and in this economy I do not see why they even have to be rebuilt. If a person is hungry or if they need to use the restroom then they are going to stop at a travel plaza no matter how modern it is. Areas USA offered the lowest bid, but facts presented in the article make me wonder if they can even get the job done and if there will be cost overruns. I think the other bidders should be upset about the process. The state could have been more specific about that they really wanted.
The article did not mention the following very important information. I feel that in any article about bidding on government contracts that political contribution information should always be included.
| Candidates Account | Contributor Name(Address) | Amount | Date Received | Contribution Type |
| O’Malley, Martin Friends Of | Areas USA Inc. (5301 Blue Lagoon Drive Suite 690, Miami, FL, 33126) |
$1,000.00 | 08/24/2011 | Business Entity |
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