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FEMA Ramps Up No-Bid Awards While Faulting Puerto Rico

FEMA increases use of no-bid contracts following hurricanes
Agency has criticized Puerto Rico’s contract with Whitefish

Workers repair electrical infrastructure damaged from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico on Oct. 10.Photographer: Alex Flynn/Bloomberg

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By Christopher Flavelle and Paul Murphy

November 2, 2017 at 8:00 AM UTC

Updated on

November 2, 2017 at 8:14 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

While federal emergency managers have assailed Puerto Rico’s no-bid contract to restore power, they are issuing noncompetitive awards themselves at the fastest rate in nearly a decade.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $200 million in single-source contracts in the fiscal year that ended September 30, the most since 2008, according to federal contracting data compiled by Bloomberg Government. It awarded nearly that much last month alone.