Jacobs and Prosecutors Differ On Data Provided by Lobbyist
A lobbyist hired by Jacobs Engineering Inc. told executives the prices its competitors had submitted for the McCormick Place expansion construction management contract in Chicago in late 2001, allowing the firm to submit the low bid. Former employees of the Pasadena, Calif.-based company have signed plea agreements saying that lobbyists had provided other key information that gave the firm an unfair advantage and helped win the job. The U.S. attorney considers it a case of blatant bid-rigging and has said that numerous Jacobs officials used and shared the information as Jacobs shaped its proposal and strategy.
Jacobs Group Vice President Warren Dean says none of the information Jacobs had or used broke state or federal law. Dean says the main targets of the federal investigation are political figures and compared the crimes for which the two employees pled guilty to the transgressions for which Martha Stewart was recently convicted. James Nagle, the former head of Jacobs Facilities Chicago office, and Elizabeth Koski, its former top marketing executive, pled guilty to lying to investigators earlier this month.