Anatomy of a $6M No-Bid Contract

Purpose

This investigation reconstructs the full anatomy of the Evolve Houston contract at Houston Metro — from the board chair's undisclosed conflict of interest to the 47% overcharge documented in Metro's own audit, to the service failures revealed in an internal EY consulting binder. Built entirely from TPIA responses, board minutes, audit records, and IRS 990 filings.

Why It Matters

Municipal procurement processes were designed for an era when document review was expensive and time-consuming. AI-augmented citizen investigation changes that calculus. This case demonstrates what one concerned citizen can accomplish with public records and modern tools.

Explore the Data

Methodology

All claims sourced from public documents obtained through the Texas Public Information Act, IRS 990 filings, and official board minutes. No anonymous sources. No speculation.

Citation