Rep. Gibbons asks FBI to look into Nevada university system

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Rep. Jim Gibbons has asked the FBI to look into allegations of illegal bid-rigging at the University of Nevada, Reno and claims that the state has tried to cover up the case.

Gibbons, R-Nev., sent a letter to the FBI at the request of Greg Macrenaris, who made the claims because of UNR's awards of energy-saving construction and repair contracts worth nearly $5 million -- without open bidding -- to Reno-based Gardner Engineering.

Macrenaris also has said that problems continue. He claims UNR in recent months posted several "open bids" for energy efficiency projects in newspapers, but allowed companies only four days to respond.

Amy Spanbauer, Gibbons' deputy chief of staff, said Thursday that the FBI got Gibbons' request in late August but her office hasn't heard back since then from federal investigators. The letter went to Glen Lovedahl in the FBI's Reno office.

MacRenaris did several small solar-screening projects at UNR but was turned down when he proposed a $590,000 project for university buildings several years ago. Jim Gardner of Gardner Engineering has called MacRenaris' allegations "sour grapes" and denied his firm was involved in any wrongdoing. UNR officials have made similar denials.

Sierra Pacific Power Co. put up the initial money for various energy-saving retrofit projects at UNR. Gardner Engineering got the contracts and did the work, and UNR repaid the money to Sierra at interest rates of 12 percent to 13 percent.

A review of various UNR contracts was done for university regents. However, Sandi Cardinal, UNR's director of internal audits who compiled the review, said she didn't look at more than a dozen no-bid contracts that prompted the initial bid-rigging claims.

Legislative auditors also are looking into the allegations, as part of a major, $90,000 audit of the entire University and Community College System of Nevada, under terms of an approved bill sought by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

The last legislative audit of the University and Community College System of Nevada was in 1996. By the time a new legislative audit is done, the previous audit will be nine years old.

Macrenaris also requested the state attorney general's office to investigate the case. He said Thursday the agency's investigation division wrote him Aug. 28 to say the attorney general has asked legislative auditors to turn over any evidence of criminal activity.

In his complaint, Macrenaris includes the attorney general and the governor's office in what he terms a "good ol' boy" cover-up. Representatives of both offices have denied the allegations.