Two losing bidders have teamed up in an effort to overturn a state agency’s award for a courthouse construction project in Springfield, citing the involvement of convention center authority director John Barros in the winning bid.
The separate bidding teams led by two prominent Springfield businessmen jointly sued the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, and the team that won the courthouse project, on Thursday. The lawsuit cites conflict of interest issues with Barros’s presence on the winning team as well as unresolved questions about the property where the new courthouse would be built.
On July 2, the state agency announced it had picked a team to redevelop 125 Liberty St. in downtown Springfield into a new “Regional Justice Center,” replacing the outdated Roderick J. Ireland courthouse about a mile away.
The winning team included FD Stonewater, a real estate firm based in Virginia, and CoJo Real Estate, a Boston partnership owned by Barros and Conan Harris, the husband of congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. (Suffolk Construction would be the general contractor.)
They beat nine other bidders. But now, they face two of them in Hampden Superior Court: teams led by auto mogul Jeb Balise and Dinesh Patel, a Springfield real estate investor and developer.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno last week made it clear that he’s upset an out-of-town bidder was picked; Sarno preferred a riverfront proposal submitted by Peter Pan Bus Lines chief executive Peter Picknelly.
The lawsuit quotes Sarno saying: “Once again, Boston power brokers are telling the city of Springfield what to do. Local developers were shunned.”
In its announcement of the award, DCAMM cited several reasons for picking the winning team, known as Liberty Junction: the downtown location near public transit, the team’s development experience, the lowest cost submitted of all bids, and one of the fastest project delivery schedules. DCAMM said it plans to occupy the privately owned building via a long-term lease, and intends to move the Roderick J. Ireland courthouse functions to Liberty Street in 2030.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to vacate the lease award, and a declaration that DCAMM violated fairness requirements in the procurement process. A spokesperson for DCAMM declined to comment about the lawsuit.
FD Stonewater and CoJo submitted their bid last year, before Barros was named interim executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority in January; the convention center authority operates the MassMutual Center in Springfield, within walking distance of 125 Liberty St.
On July 1, Barros filed a disclosure form with the state Ethics Commission, saying that he learned that Liberty Junction won the courthouse contract. Barros, in his disclosure, says he is only involved in the project as a passive investor, and has no decision-making authority, though he will receive indirect financial compensation from the DCAMM lease.
In their lawsuit, the losing bidders focus on Barros’s high-profile public role. DCAMM, the suit notes, is part of the state Executive Office of Administration & Finance, and the A&F secretary serves on the MCCA board. The board members that hired Barros are also primarily appointed by Governor Maura Healey, who oversees A&F.
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.