"Andrew McNeill went to the Kentucky legislature last month with a straightforward ask: scrutinize the state's habit of awarding costly road construction contracts to the only firm that bid for the job.

"McNeill, a deputy budget director under former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, told the legislature's interim joint committee on transportation that he analyzed the state's data and found single-bid contracts, specifically, were driving up the cost of construction projects in Kentucky.

"If the legislators ordered an audit they could get to the bottom of why, said McNeill, a fellow at the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions. But the lawmakers didn't bite.

"They instead jumped to defend the contractors, criticize McNeill's analysis of the state's data and ultimately showed little interest in boosting oversight of a lucrative industry with a history of corruption allegations and shrinking competition.

"The transportation cabinet is exempt by law from following the state's procurement code, instead following a bidding system experts say allows a handful of large companies to avoid serious competition for jobs.

"As a result, more than $2 billion in current work is controlled by a dozen companies — who often are the sole bidder on the contracts they're awarded.

"A spokesperson for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet declined to make officials available for an interview. The cabinet has not yet responded to questions emailed by KyCIR."