July 22, 2007
Lowest Bid Is a Problem for a College
By CHARLES V. BAGLI

The dilemma facing Westchester Community College is familiar to government agencies and private companies alike in an era of scarce resources and rapidly escalating construction costs.

Eager to begin work on a project for emerging trends, a $40.5 million center dedicated to preparing the county’s growing immigrant population for professional careers, the college opened construction bids last month.

Worth Construction of Bethel, Conn., was the low bidder.

The good news was that Worth had a reputation for completing projects on time and at budget. The bad news was that the company and its president, Joseph Pontoriero, figured in a long-running federal investigation into contract corruption in Connecticut.

And Worth lost a $46 million highway contract in New York two years ago after the state comptroller ruled it was not a responsible vendor because, in part, of its “long history of association with organized crime.â€