Controversial service plaza procurement do-over may bear similarities to commuter rail contract talks, Eng says

As state transportation officials prepare to take a second shot at procuring a new vendor for the 18 service plazas across the state, they may look at moves made during a separate procurement already underway.

The procurement process for the multibillion-dollar MBTA commuter rail contract, which emphasized creating competition among bidders, drew several last year. The transit agency released a short list of international companies pulling together their proposals in December. As part of that process, the MBTA held an “Industry Day,” where business representatives could ask questions about the contract.

The do-over for the service plazas may take some cues from that, according to Phil Eng, the MBTA’s general manager who is also serving as interim transportation secretary. In October, he replaced Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, whose tenure included the collapse of the first service plaza procurement process. The winning bidder, Applegreen, withdrew after the loser, Global Partners, waged an intense campaign raising questions about the procurement process in the media and in court. The contract had a potential value of nearly $1 billion.

A Feb. 27 letter to Eng from state Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro said his office “found too many flaws in this procurement to say with confidence that the procurement, had it been fully executed, was based on a solid foundation.”

“I spoke with the IG about it, before he released it, and we had a good, open discussion,” Eng told MASSterList as he left a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event. “He said while there was nothing illegal with it — same review that MassDOT had — there are things that he felt like could be improved upon. We're always looking at how do we deliver, and how do we procure, and lessons learned.”

There isn’t yet a formal timeline for procuring a new vendor to rehab, operate and maintain the 18 service plazas for the next several decades. MassDOT has already given service plaza oversight to its highway division, granting it a greater role than the real estate division that previously held it. Existing leases for the plazas were renegotiated to run until the end of 2027.

Eng said the do-over will be similar in some ways to the commuter rail contract process, “where we're going to get industry feedback to make sure that when we go out with a procurement, it's incorporated into it, and that they also fully understand what's important, what are the criteria and how we're going to score them.”

Eng said they’ll be reviewing the inspector general’s recommendations, which included a “closed or sealed scoring environment, as compared to the live scoring used during this [failed] procurement,” and strengthening conflict of interest disclosures.

“We have some thoughts of our own, and we're going to do best practices, and I'm confident that we'll put out a solid procurement this time around,” Eng said.

More to come on this, as a Senate Post Audit Committee hearing on the matter is still scheduled for March 24. Are you planning to testify? Feel free to send along your testimony here: [email protected].

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10:15 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu offers remarks at the 28th annual Boston Area International Women’s Day Breakfast. | Linda Paresky Conference Center, Simmons University, 300 Fenway, Boston

11:00 | Gov. Maura Healey is set to speak at the Springfield Regional Chamber's Outlook 2026 event, where Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins is the keynote speaker. Secretary of Economic Development Eric Paley and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno are also scheduled to make remarks. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal gives remarks via video. | MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield | Register

7:00 | California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is scheduled to discuss his new book, "Young Man in a Hurry" at an invite-only event. | Stephen E. Smith Center, JFK Library and Museum, Columbia Point in Dorchester | Livefeed

You’d be forgiven if you saw “chair a meeting of the Governor’s Council” on Gov. Maura Healey’s public schedule Wednesday and wondered if she’d lost a bet. It’s typically the lieutenant governor’s job to wield the gavel during meetings of the independently elected body, which is a holdover from the state’s colonial era. The eight-member council, which primarily handles judicial nominations, is better known in modern times for its internal squabbling, though that has died down since Mara Dolan beat Marilyn Devaney in 2024. “They used to be a little spicier,” Healey acknowledged to reporters. While Healey presided over a brief meeting, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll was at a gathering of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association in Miami, taking part in a panel about the administration’s clean energy efforts. At one point, Healey got a little ahead of herself in moving the agenda along before she backtracked. “This is why they only call me in from the bullpen occasionally,” she said to no one in particular….

….Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is headlining a birthday fundraiser later this month for Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden. It’s the first time she’s done that for Hayden, who won the seat in 2022 over Wu’s preferred candidate, Ricardo Arroyo. But that campaign is ancient history. Since then, Wu worked to oust Arroyo from his council seat, and Hayden endorsed Wu when she was up against Josh Kraft last year. Sen. Lydia Edwards, who backed Hayden in 2022, is also headlining the upcoming fundraiser, set for Tuesday, March 24, at Uptown Social in Boston’s South End….

….Latoya Gayle, a community activist primarying South Boston Sen. Nick Collins, plans an official campaign kick-off Saturday in Dorchester. A campaign advisory says her pitch involves ensuring “that leadership reflects the real pressures facing 1st Suffolk families—from housing and energy costs to the education and childcare systems that shape everyday life and determine whether working families can stay and succeed in the communities they call home.” Gayle has raised $23,680 since December, while Collins raised nearly $29,000 just in the month of February. He has $57,000 in cash on hand as of the end of that month….

…Stephen Breyer, the former associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, will be at the State Library at noon on Thursday, March 12, for a book talk. He authored a book released last year, titled “Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism.” President Clinton appointed him to the high court in 1994 and he retired in 2022.

Join Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Senate Majority Leader Creem, Event Hosts Senator Payano, and Representatives Consalvo, Garballey, and Williams, other leaders of legislature, advocacy,and  medicine for Virtual 17th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, held on March 24th, 10 am to 2 pm. You will take part in expanding a Massachusetts model of national leadership in prostate cancer awareness, medical education, research and reducing health disparities. You will learn about the cutting-edge advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment – and Prostate Cancer Resource Project, bringing the best available quality care to Massachusetts men and supporting them every step of their medical journey. This event is organized by AdMeTech Foundation, in cooperation with the Prostate Cancer Action Council.

GETTING SALTY: We’ve now reached the fundraising stage of the fight between Gov. Maura Healey and RFK Jr. over sugar in Dunkin’ coffee. “The man who spent years spreading dangerous misinformation about life-saving vaccines — causing real harm to real families — is now positioning himself as someone who actually cares about your health by going after your morning iced coffee," the fundraising blast from Healey said. – MassLive

DRAWBRIDGE PROJECT: A $1.2 billion project to replace a drawbridge over the Charles River and close to North Station will see $472 million in federal funding. Gov. Maura Healey touted the project at the South Boston ironworkers hall, saying it will create thousands of union jobs. The drawbridge carries trains and tens of thousands of passengers on a daily basis. – WCVB

SHERIFF LAYOFFS: Layoffs are coming to Plymouth County Sheriff Joe McDonald’s office. He pointed to an “unprecedented fiscal emergency” as he and other sheriffs face criticism over their spending levels. – Boston Globe

WORLD CUP LATEST: While the deep-pocketed Kraft Group and Boston Soccer 26 have proposed a security funding deal for Foxborough to handle hosting World Cup matches in June and July, town officials remain skeptical. "What they have presented is essentially an agreement with themselves, but such terms are not responsive to the town’s requirements and will not suffice to address the Town’s needs for providing security services for these events," said Bill Yukna, the select board chair. – WCVB

ANOTHER ICE CUSTODY DEATH: A Haitian man who had been living in Massachusetts and sought asylum has died after he was thrown into an Arizona immigration detention center. The man’s brother said it was due to an untreated tooth infection. “We must demand full accountability from ICE for his death,” said Sen. Ed Markey. – WBUR

ANOTHER STATE POLICE SCANDAL: DA Marian Ryan’s office acknowledged that one of its employees was aware of a state trooper’s alleged intoxication levels during a fatal cruiser crash, more than a year before Ryan’s office disclosed it in court. – Boston Herald

ECONOMIST ON RENT CONTROL: Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist who was an architect of Romneycare as well as Obamacare, weighed in against rent control as a potential initiative petition heads towards the November ballot. – GBH News

FOR SALE: A panel is recommending that the federal-owned property known as the Coast Guard Building be sold. The building, next to the James Hook seafood restaurant in Boston’s Financial District, has tenants that include the FBI and the Department of Defense. – Boston Business Journal

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@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Martha Sheridan, CEO and president of the city’s tourism bureau Meet Boston.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is House Speaker Ron Mariano.

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