Hunting, Fishing Licensing System Gets Lukewarm Ok Agency Recommends Improvements In Pact With Contractor, Shoring Up Of Payments

Legislative evaluators raised questions on Monday about the legality of the way Idaho originally automated hunting and fishing fees.

But they also concluded there were no intentional violations and the existing contract for the computerized service is adequate.

The Office of Performance Evaluations recommended that improvements be made in the existing contract with G-Tech and that weaknesses in the handling of payments to that company be eliminated since they pose “a serious future risk if not corrected.”

The chairman of the Fish and Game Commission agreed with the need for improved handling of payments to G-Tech.

“Overall,” John Burns of Carmen wrote in response to the report, “we are pleased that you found no suggestion of improper payments or monetary loss to Idaho’s sportsmen.”

However, Burns disputed the claim that the original 1995 deal with the company violated state purchasing laws and the suggestion that negotiating a new five-year contract last year may have bent the law.

He said the attorney general’s office also disagreed with the legislative conclusions and would provide the Joint Legislative Committee on Oversight a detailed analysis.

The report from legislative evaluators concluded that Fish & Game violated state bidding laws when it set up its automated licensing system without taking competitive bids. It also operated the system for nearly two years without an enforceable contract, and the report noted “weaknesses in the department’s payment practices that unnecessarily increased the risk of erroneous or duplicate payments.”

Fish & Game Commissioner Nancy Hadley of Sandpoint said the purchasing issue “was so long ago. My understanding was that there was a lot of participation in that in the Statehouse and governor’s office and lottery.”

But she called the evaluators’ suggestions “helpful.”

“There are some things we could do better with the invoicing. I think it did bring out some weaknesses we have,” she said. “We’re going to move forward and make a lot of positive changes, not only in contracting but in a lot of other areas.”

Fish & Game now has a new director, Rod Sando, and a new commission majority recently appointed by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. Sando and commissioners told lawmakers Monday they support a full legislative evaluation of the agency, which will be completed by December.

The multimillion-dollar automated licensing system has been a bone of contention, at least for some, since it was implemented. A previous commission and Fish and Game director settled on using G-tech because it was already providing automated ticket service for the state lottery.

The switch to automation, however, was mired with problems for several years before the kinks were worked out. Then G-Tech took a hard negotiating position on renewal of the contract, claiming it really was not interested in keeping the business. But that iciness melted and a deal was finally cut.

The report argued that there really was no basis for characterizing the lottery and Fish and Game Department systems as a joint system since while G-Tech provides services to both, they are essentially separate and unique. That characterization helped smooth the way for the renewed G-Tech contract without competitive bidding.

But Burns maintained that the approach with the lottery involved a broad range of interests and that both the department and commission “proceeded in good faith to set up a state-of-the-art system for Idaho, and that the result has been successful.”

Staff writer Betsy Russell contributed to this report.