Several local construction companies have will pay $161,500 to the commonwealth for allegedly omitting important information about the safety history of their companies when they submitted prequalification applications for transportation projects.
The companies – Saugus-based Aggregate Industries Northeast Region Inc., Northampton-based Lane Construction Corp., Lunenburg-based P.J. Keating Co., Halifax-based Liddell Brothers Inc., Ludlow-based H.M. Nunes and Sons Construction Inc., and Stoneham-based D&R General Contracting Inc. – failed to disclose information on their applications submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) about past worker and environmental safety violations, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office. In addition to the settlement, the six construction companies will also have to establish and maintain safeguards to ensure the accuracy of their prequalification applications.
"State agencies are not able to get a clear picture of what type of businesses they are dealing with if these applications are not fully completed," said Coakley. "Whether a company adheres to environmental and worker safety laws and regulations is a necessary and important factor to consider in the prequalification process, and must be disclosed."
"I want to thank the Attorney General and her team for their investigation and resulting action in this matter," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan. "Prequalifying contractors in the bid application process is critical to the work that we do."
The companies will pay the following sums:
- Aggregate Industries Northeast Region: $90,000
- Lane Construction Corp.: $60,000
- P.J. Keating Co.: $5,000
- Liddell Brothers: $5,000
- H.M. Nunes and Sons Construction: $1,500
- D&R General Contracting: no payment required.
