Army Corps Flubbed Contracting Process for Jersey Shore Project

The US Army Corps of Engineers unlawfully converted an invitation for bids to a negotiated procurement for a beach nourishment project in New Jersey, the Government Accountability Office said.

The agency should rescind the conversion and reimburse Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. for costs associated with filing its claim, the GAO said in a Dec. 19 decision made public Dec. 27.

Great Lakes placed a $68 million bid to complete the project to enhance shoreline areas between Manasquan Inlet and Barnegat Inlet, a roughly 25-mile section of the Jersey Shore. But the Army Corps said the bid—though the lowest—was ...