Top Official Rejects New York City Migrant Contract Worth $432 Million

New York City’s comptroller rejected a no-bid contract worth $432 million to aid migrants, his office said in a statement Wednesday.

City Comptroller Brad Lander rejected the contract on the basis that the contractor, DocGo, Inc, formally known as Rapid Reliable Testing NY LLC, lacks the experience to provide emergency services for migrants in New York City, according to his statement. By the end of August, the city was caring for roughly 60,000 migrants, including 20,000 children, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol, said at the time. (RELATED: Female Migrant Accused Of Slapping NYPD Cop Gets Released Without Bail)

“My office did not make this decision lightly. After a careful review, we are declining to approve this contract due to numerous outstanding concerns,” Lander said.

“The agency’s contract submission to our office fails to describe how the $432 million price tag was reached,” he continued. “There was little evidence to show that this company has the experience to provide the services it has been contracted for. Contradictory information was provided regarding their fiscal capacity and serious questions were raised about the integrity and responsibility of this vendor and their subcontractors. After thorough review, we are returning the contract to [the Department of Housing & Preservation Development] and encouraging them to reconsider whether this vendor is appropriate for the services described.”

In a letter sent Wednesday to the HPD commissioner, Lander expressed concerns with the fact that DocGo is a medical services group that doesn’t have expertise with logistics, social services or legal services. He also cited reporting that the company’s staff allegedly mistreated migrants.

New York Attorney General Letitia James recently began a probe into DocGo over allegations that it misled migrants about employment opportunities, threatened them and made “other actions that may jeopardize migrants’ ability to obtain asylum,” according to The New York Times.

“There is little evidence to suggest that Rapid Reliable Testing NY LLC had the expertise to provide the services it has been contracted for, calling into question HPD’s vetting of the vendor’s prior experience and capacity that served as its purported basis for vendor selection,” Lander wrote in his letter.

A DocGo spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the company is capable of providing the services sought by the contract.

“DocGo, one of the nation’s largest logistics companies in the mobile healthcare space, has been successfully providing critical services to asylum seekers through an agreement with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) for more than four months,” the spokesperson said. “We have thousands of asylum seekers currently in our care who rely on funding from the City for this program to receive case management, social work, food and housing. DocGo’s quick action to step up in the face of this crisis has been critical in helping the City meet the needs of the asylum seekers in our care.”

“Notwithstanding yesterday’s response from the Comptroller, we have received assurance from the Mayor’s office that NYC intends to fully pay DocGo for the services delivered under this contract, both historically and going forward,” the spokesperson continued.

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