Reid Connected Law Firm Almost Wins UMC Contract Without The Lowest Bid

The Crybaby Harry Reid corruption train continues to ride the rails of Las Vegas.
From the Las Vegas Sun:Seven law firms were interested in landing a lucrative contract with University Medical Center. After reviewing bids from the firms, the Sun found that the winning bidder, the powerful firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins, did not have the lowest bid....
But first, a synopsis of Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ contract: It will be paid $15,000 a month for six months; after the county will pay the usual hourly rates, which range for senior partners from $500 to $650 an hour. Commissioners put a $100,000 cap on the contract, then eliminated a provision that would automatically hire the firm to lobby for UMC during 2013.
How did the other firms stack up?
One local firm, Jones Vargas, has far lower rates. Their partners would have charged $275 an hour. But instead of the hourly rate, the firm offered $5,000 a month for the first six months, one third of Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ asking price.
Another local firm, Greenberg Traurig, offered hourly rates for partners of between $373 and $517.
A Washington, D.C., firm, Patton Boggs, offered this: $630/hour for senior partners ($330 to $440 for associates), or a fixed fee of $125,000 for the first of three phases. Costs for the other two phases would be determined later.
Another firm with extensive experience in what UMC wants to do is Hogan Lovells, also based in D.C...
And Lionel Sawyer & Collins' experience?
They are plugged into just about every high-powered entity in Nevada. One of its lawyers, Rory Reid, is the former chairman of the County Commission.
According to the firm’s bid, it doesn’t appear it has the hospital-transitioning experience of a Hogan Lovells but has done some health care work, including representing Catholic Healthcare West in a merger with Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno.
The million-dollar question: Did the County Commission make the right choice?
Little in politics is black and white. However, right before the vote a few weeks ago, Commissioner Lawrence Weekly expressed unease with the recommendation by county counsel Mary Anne Miller to go with Lionel Sawyer & Collins. Weekly was miffed that he was not consulted, especially since he chairs UMC’s board of trustees....
So that’s that?
No. The surprise is that Lionel Sawyer & Collins has decided to turn down the contract because of questions from Weekly and other commissioners.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/feb/26/powerful-firm-won-county-contract-without-lowest-b/
For more on the Lionel Sawyer &Collins law firm and the Reid connection: Harry Reid has four sons who all work for Nevada’s largest law firm, Lionel, Sawyer & Collins. All of them have benefited from Reid.
Here’s how the Los Angeles Times puts it:
But Harry Reid is in a class by himself. One of his sons and his son-in-law lobby in Washington for companies, trade groups and municipalities seeking Reid’s help in the Senate. A second son has lobbied in Nevada for some of those same interests, and a third has represented a couple of them as a litigator.
In the last four years alone, their firms have collected more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/exclusive-investigative-reports/harry-reids-dirty-laundry/
The only change is that Josh Reid is now the City Attorney of Henderson, a position he was not qualified for, but daddy Reid pushed the Henderson City Council and Mayor Andy Hafen to hire him, which they did, after genuflecting and kissing the ring of Crybaby Reid.