Speakers seek review of office outsourcing deal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The speakers of the House and Senate are seeking a review of no-bid elements of an outsourcing deal with a real estate firm that has counted fellow Republican Gov. Bill Haslam as one of its investors.
The Haslam administration initially hired Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle for a $1 million contract to consult on office space issues. That deal has since evolved into five-year, $38 million contract to manage all state-owned and leased properties outside of higher education.
Before his election in 2010, Haslam included Jones Lang LaSalle among the dozens of companies in which he held investments of more than $10,000. He has since placed his investments other than family-owned Pilot Flying J into a blind trust.
Haslam’s office has denied the stake in the company influenced the contract.
