Search warrant claims Gainey Administration exploited changes on no-bid contracts
PITTSBURGH —
Search warrants issued for Pittsburgh city records dating back to January 2022 have been unsealed.
The search warrant sought records starting when Ed Gainey took office as Pittsburgh mayor, through the end of 2025, according to an affidavit unsealed.
The 11-page affidavit alleges the Gainey administration improperly used no-bid contracts and purchasing exemptions to award work to organizations that provided political support and benefited the administration.
According to the affidavit, these concerns were first brought to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office in 2023 by then-City Council Solicitor Dan Friedson.
Friedson told investigators the waiver form used to exempt contracts from competitive bidding had been changed during the Bill Peduto administration.
He alleged the Gainey administration later exploited those changes to bypass the competitive bidding process.
The affidavit alleges the Gainey administration removed the law department from reviewing many of those contracts, even though waivers had previously been routed through the law department before no-bid contracts were approved.
Investigators wrote that they believe the professional services contracts were used to benefit friends and supporters of the administration and to help circumvent campaign finance laws.
According to the warrant, Friedson stated that approximately 20% of the city’s contracts under the Gainey administration were no-bid contracts, compared to less than 10% under prior administrations.