MONTGOMERY — Smith Warren Management Services shouldn't be a qualified vendor to contract with Alabama licensing boards, according to State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine).
Elliott placed an up-to-45-day legislative hold on three administrative services contracts between Smith Warren and the Interpreters and Transliterators Board, the Professional Bail Bonding Board, and the Security Regulatory Board at a Contract Review committee meeting on Thursday. The three annual contracts are worth $552,000.
Smith Warren is a private firm owned by Keith Warren that provides administrative services to multiple occupational licensing boards in Alabama.
The Alabama Electrical Contractors Board dropped Smith Warren as its administrative services provider last year.
"I had the opportunity to attend this morning's Board of Adjustment meeting. At that meeting, the topic of the meeting and on their agenda was the consideration of a claim by for over $170,000 to be paid to Smith Warren Company from the Electrical Contractors Board," Elliott said at the meeting. "Now, y'all will remember quite a bit of controversy about that board and the administration of services for that board and then coming back after the fact to try to take another $170,000 from that board gives me some significant consternation and it gave the Board of Adjustment some consternation as well to the effect of them denying the request for $170,000 worth of compensation."
Elliott has unsuccessfully pushed legislation in recent legislative sessions to consolidate many occupational licensing boards into one state agency.
"I would submit that aside from the time and energy and effort that the Board of Adjustment is spending with this vendor. In my conversations with the Department of Finance and the Comptroller, and how much they're spending with this particular vendor. The time and energy and effort that the Examiner of Public Accounts is spending with this particular vendor. The time, energy, and effort that this committee is spending with this vendor and what time, energy, and effort, to say nothing of the floor time required, to deal with sunsets that are one year only," Elliott said. "This is not the most efficient way to administer these boards. I'm going to question, there's a representative of the governor's office in here, whether or not this vendor should still be a qualified vendor, given the history. I'm going to hold these contracts until we can have further conversations with the Department of Finance, Comptroller, and the governor's office."
Warren told 1819 News, "I am disappointed and appalled at the comments that were made today by Senator Elliott. The continued slanderous allegations are completely unnecessary when a meeting could be held to discuss the issues and concerns to determine the best resolution that benefits the board's needs and legislators' movement to discontinue administrative services contracts."
"The alleged displeasure of my company's vendor status and operations has not been disclosed to me by any of the agencies mentioned other than the comments made during contract review committee meetings," Warren said. "All contracts presented today and previously have been procured by the state procurement division and approved by the chief procurement officer prior to submission to the contract review committee. I have contacted both Senator Elliott and Senator Roberts to discuss their concerns without any acknowledgement of the numerous requests. I continue to be available and eager to address these concerns and move forward to resolve these matters and transition from professional service contracts to employment through the state. It is past time to resolve this and move forward so everyone can concentrate on business at hand and move past this political rhetoric. I am past ready to work with the committee to reduce professional services contracts and utilize state personnel and other state government agencies to administer these boards legislative intent and missions accordingly."
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