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Patterns people ask about
Patterns in the records that people often ask about: deals made without competition, contracts that grew, amounts just under a limit, spending bunched at year end, and more. Each is counted from the records with its method written down. None is a finding of wrongdoing.
The Open Contracting Partnership's guide to red flags puts it this way: a red flag is not evidence that anything wrong happened. It points at something that may be worth a closer look.
Awarded without competition
5,929 items, $1.5 billionContracts given to one supplier without an open call for bids. Method for Awarded without competition
Emergency awards
364 items, $216 millionContracts awarded under the emergency or urgency exception. Method for Emergency awards
Same supplier, sole-sourced again and again
1,482 items, $653 millionA public body gave the same supplier three or more sole-source awards. Method for Same supplier, sole-sourced again and again
Contracts that grew well past their award
228 items, $1.1 billionSelected federal contracts whose latest reported value is at least double the original, and at least $25,000 more. Method for Contracts that grew well past their award
Priced just under a limit
416 items, $25.6 millionAmounts within 5% below an open-call limit. Method for Priced just under a limit
Invoices that add up past a limit
483 items, $7.7 millionTwo or more invoices from one supplier for the same thing, each under a limit, together over it. Method for Invoices that add up past a limit
Year-end spending rush
46 items, $33.9 millionAwards and payments bunched in the last month of the fiscal year. Method for Year-end spending rush
One supplier takes most of a body's awards
4 foundA single supplier received half or more of a public body's awarded dollars. Method for One supplier takes most of a body's awards
Published long after the award
397 items, $178 millionAwards that appear in a report more than 90 days after the award date. Method for Published long after the award
Dates that cannot be right
26 items, $3.4 millionAward dates printed years before or after the report they appear in. Method for Dates that cannot be right
MHA allowances used past their limit
none foundMembers whose spending in an allowance category passed its published limit for the year. Method for MHA allowances used past their limit
Overtime bigger than salary
90 foundJobs where people on the compensation list earned more in overtime than in base salary, counted by employer and job title. Method for Overtime bigger than salary
Severance payments
204 foundSeverance paid to people on the compensation list, counted by employer and job title. Method for Severance payments
Descriptions that say almost nothing
611 items, $52.4 millionAwards described in one or two generic words. Method for Descriptions that say almost nothing
Some patterns cannot be checked with Newfoundland and Labrador data: single bids, disqualified rivals and identical bids need bid-level records, which the province does not publish.