Lack of Procedural Understanding Fueled Allegations Against Consultant

I am pleased to announce the release of the BART Office of the Inspector General’s latest investigative report. 

Our report delves into allegations concerning intellectual property theft, improper billing, falsification of experience, and misrepresentation of work against a BART Consultant, who we refer to as Consultant A. While these allegations were not substantiated, our investigation uncovered a fundamental issue: a lack of procedural clarity. It was evident that procedures for contracting and professional engineering work were either not followed, misunderstood, or undocumented. This confusion led to concerns regarding the qualifications of Consultant A, as well as the presentation of technical work by another professional engineer, Consultant B, as their own.

The allegations raised concerns about the reliability and safety of the BART rail system. Moreover, our findings underscore a broader issue of equity, particularly as Consultant B, a woman in the construction and engineering industries, faces routine challenges to her capabilities and contributions.

Our investigation underscores the importance of adhering to proper practices, documenting procedures, and understanding processes. It also underscores the importance of including equity in decision making. To address the concerns raised by this investigation, we recommended BART develop procedures for tech memos and for recording of technical designs to BART's official records. For further details, please refer to the full report.

To access all of the Office of the Inspector General’s reports, please visit our website at www.bart.gov/oig.

Sincerely,

Claudette Biemeret
Inspector General
Email: InspectorGeneral@bart.gov
Phone: 510-464-6141