Houston Public Works Tackles Conflict of Interest Allegations with Swift Action

November 17, 2023

Houston Public Works (HPW) responded quickly to allegations that one of its employees directed emergency water line contracts to a family member. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) promptly began to investigate these allegations. In the course of the ongoing OIG investigation, some of these allegations have been substantiated. 
 
“Public trust suffers when there are allegations of wrongdoing. We moved as quickly as legally possible to start the contract termination process and initiate debarment proceedings against this contractor,” said Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock. “The employee, who did not disclose the conflict of interest, has been placed on relief of duty pending further investigation.”

Houston Public Works is committed to transparency and continuing to provide safe and reliable services to Houstonians. 
 
“There will be an independent review of all the HPW emergency contracts to mitigate the risk of this happening again,” said Haddock.