Austin reviews ‘unusual’ $25 million Long Center contract over arts grant fees and oversight.

Austin reviews ‘unusual’ $25 million Long Center contract over arts grant fees and oversight. “Austin Current’s review of the contract raised questions about how much money the city is paying for specific services. Some of the hourly rates listed in the agreement include: $250 an hour to retrieve data for the city; $250 an hour to train panelists how to judge grant applications; $87 an hour to pay panelists who review the grants; and $54 an hour for customer service.” My read is that those are expensive but not wildly crazy. I’ve seen commercial contracts with similar prices. Is there someone out there who expects government negotiators to get a good deal on procurement? ~ learn more