Questions surround $6 million contract between California company and Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Emails uncovered by ABC13's news partners at the Houston Chronicle are raising questions about a $6 million contract between a California company and Harris County.

The executive director for Harris County Public Health, Barbie Robinson, is at the center of the allegations.

Those emails raise the question of whether there was a conflict of interest between Robinson and the California for-profit company as they sought business in Harris County.

Robinson came to Houston from Sonoma County, California, in 2020. That is the same county where DEMA Consulting & Management got its start.

Shortly after Robinson's move, DEMA would be chosen to run two vaccination sites in Pasadena and Aldine.

By the end of that year, the company would beat out The Harris Center, a state agency dedicated to mental health services, by a fraction of a point to run a new program involving 911.

SEE ALSO: Harris County initiates plan to keep nonviolent 911 response program

The Chronicle also reported that DEMA seemingly believed they'd been picked for the 911 diversion project before a deal was complete.

The timing of the contracts and Robinson's California connections raised concerns. The Chronicle obtained emails suggesting that a DEMA employee knew they would get a contract beforehand.

Former Harris Center Director Shaukat Zakaria spoke to ABC13. He told us he was surprised they lost the contract because they put in a lower bid.

"It was odd that a for-profit agency was awarded the contract over a county agency they controlled," Zakaria explained. "We were all stunned when the email came out that the contract had been awarded, even though it hadn't. It was our first clue that something was going on. That was one of the reasons I decided to resign after working on the board for eight years."

Reporter Dylan McGuinness has been leading the Chronicle's investigation.

"That's what struck folks as concerning or odd during the process. Before they even went through the process, they were under the impression they had already won. Director Robinson said that the email was shocking to her. She didn't know why they would have been so confident. She did not give them any advance knowledge they were going to win. She could not explain why they would have felt otherwise," McGuinness said.

According to the Chronicle, Robinson denies any wrongdoing.

The Chronicle reported some county commissioners are exploring other ways to continue the 911 diversion program, which is designed to redirect non-emergent, non-life-threatening calls that are mental health crisis-related.

Commissioner Tom Ramsey sent ABC13 a statement:

"Commissioner Ramsey has repeatedly voted against items and payments to DEMA because it didn't make sense as to why an out-of-state organization would do this work, especially when Harris County is home to some of the best health and medical care in the nation. According to previous news reports, Sonoma County expressed concerns over DEMA for many months, which validated Commissioner Ramsey's decision to vote against payments to DEMA."

Judge Lina Hidalgo also sent ABC13 a statement:

"If anything, this situation highlights the need for procurement reform in Harris County. Despite the distasteful behavior of DEMA, the situation is being handled first and foremost in the interest of the taxpayers and, crucially, at the advice of the Independent County Auditor, the Independent Purchasing Agent, and the County Attorney. We made major progress in April when, for the first time, we laid out a plan for our Flood Control and Engineering departments to have written procedures for selecting a winning vendor, maintain documentation of the process, and submit conflict of interest forms for department employees involved in awarding contracts. Our focus going forward needs to be making our procurement process more ethical, starting with looking at the hundreds of millions of dollars in flood control and transportation projects still awarded outside of the independent Purchasing Agent."

ABC13 reached out to the district attorney's office to see if an investigation is underway into the contract.

A spokesperson said, "In the interest of fairness to all parties involved, we do not comment on or confirm the existence of an investigation until charges are filed."