Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Employees of Massachusetts company Global Partners demonstrated outside the Menino Convention Center Tuesday, demanding a rebid on MassDOT highway service plaza lease.
Global Partners lost the bid to Applegreen, an Ireland-based company, and accused MassDOT of unfair practices.
CEO of Global Partners Eric Slifka said his company had the "best offer at every level, in every category," and they "should have been awarded the bid."
They filed a lawsuit against MassDOT on Sept. 15, asking a Suffolk Superior Court judge to block the 35-year contract with Applegreen.
"We're hoping this gets overturned because this is what's best for the state," Slifka said.
During the rally on Tuesday, dozens of Global Partners employees held banners reading "TELL MASSDOT: REOPEN BIDS!" and "MASSDOT HID THE TRUTH!" Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt was speaking at a transportation conference inside of the convention center.
It's "to make sure that everybody inside here understands that there's an issue at MassDOT and that they're being investigated," Slifka said.
Statement from MassDOT: "MassDOT is committed to delivering the service plazas our residents and visitors deserve. Applegreen won the bid through a fair procurement process that followed industry standards and carefully analyzed every proposer’s plans for revitalizing, operating and maintaining service plazas on the state’s highways. Applegreen’s proposal included a full turnkey plan—from design and construction to staffing and operations— which closely aligned with MassDOT’s technical requirements and timeline expectations and will result in all service plazas being renovated on a faster timeline than any other bidder." -MassDOT
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.