A company that was the subject of a Portland Press Herald investigation after it won the right to bid on a lucrative energy contract at the University of Maine has withdrawn from negotiations.
In a letter to the University of Maine's Office of Procurement, the general manager for ConEdison Solutions says the decision to withdraw was prompted by uncertainty over its ability to lease power-generating assets in the former Expera Mill in Old Town. Without that guarantee, the company was unable to provide a firm pricing offer or deliver a plan. University spokesperson Dan Demeritt says next in line for the rights is Honeywell International.
“And they've been notified that an award for the right to negotiate with the University has been awarded and we've also notified all the other respondents of the changing development,” says Demeritt.
Demeritt says there are 14 remaining respondents that expressed interest in developing proposals. ConEdison's raised questions about the possible role of insider information in the process. An audit committee for the University of Maine's Board of Trustees found no evidence to support that claim.
