Value Vet Fix In?
LAAS issued a near-secret RFP (Request for Proposals) in November regarding operating the West Valley spay/neuter clinic. The deadline for submitted proposals was January 27 of this year. There was a presentation meeting for anyone who wanted to learn the particulars about what was involved only 14 days after the proposal was out (November 19).
Guess who was the only vet group to submit a proposal????
VALUE VET!!
Is the fix in?
Who received notice of this RFP???
http://laanimalservices.org/PDF/rfp/clinics/Clinics%20RFP%20announcement%20letter-%20Nov%202008.pdf
I would assume with all vet business down there would be many vets interested in taking over a rent-free, utility-free facility, in the all new West Valley shelter.
So as the only bidder, will Value Vet be given another locked in private vet franchise for the West Valley? Will Value Vet be able to spay/neuter 7 of the City’s animals a day there, then be able to charge the public hundreds of dollars for a spay/neuter such as in West LA?
As it is, most every day someone brings in a sick or injured pet to the shelter and asks whether the shelter can do anything. Naturally, the shelter will say they have a vet on campus, in this case, Value Vet. So Value Vet gets all of this guaranteed, captured market.
How convenient.
In order for Boks to tell the Mayor and the Controller that five S/N clinics are up and running, he’ll make an agreement with a private vet clinic that appears ready, willing and able to both price fix and price gouge.
This cannot go through.
I think the Value Vet affair could be a criminal act. The details of how public the RFP was could be the determining factor. I wonder how many vets were aware of the request? This could be like the crap that happened in Iraq with Blackwater and Halliburton. I'm very glad that you are exposing this situation. Maybe this is potentially bad enough to have the LA Times look into it with some investigative reporting? How our money is spent by our so-called public servants is of great interest these days.
ReplyDeleteGo get 'em, Ed. I shudder to think we almost went there.
ReplyDelete