As a state committee probes the bungled Applegreen service plaza deal, one state senator is calling for a financial audit of the state’s current highway service plaza contracts and for a review of the physical condition of the dilapidated service plazas — a request MassDOT has agreed to.

State Sen. Nick Collins (D-First Suffolk) sent a letter to interim Transportation Sec. Phil Eng following a March 18 MassDOT legislative briefing, where Eng discussed concerns shared by state lawmakers and the MassDOT Board of Directors over the physical conditions of the state’s 18 service plazas currently under contract.

“At the legislative briefing, some of my colleagues shared concerns about the current physical conditions of MassDOT facilities of public accommodation. Therefore, I am also requesting a review of the environmental conditions and history of each service plaza, with the goal of ensuring that adequate controls are built into future RFPs and agreements to better protect taxpayers and ensure compliance with the state’s sanitary code,” Collins wrote in his March 21 letter to Eng.

“The real key is we want to make sure that when we do finally select the winning proposer, whether it’s different proposers or similar proposers, is that we have the commuter, the rider, the driver, the visitors, their interest, their customer satisfaction as a priority, making sure that they’re safe, they’re clean,” Eng said at a March 18 MassDOT Board of Directors meeting. “That they provide the amenities that people do get and expect when they stop at a rest area. There’ll be a lot more to follow on this.”

Eng and Transportation Undersecretary Jonathan Gulliver both agreed to the financial audit at the meeting.

Eng also announced that a new public survey has been launched online by MassDOT for residents and visitors to grade the quality and cleanliness of the specific service plaza they visit.

Beyond the cleanliness and maintenance of the service plazas, Collins pointed out “numerous instances” where contractors have not met their obligations. He says, for example, that Pan Am Railways has failed to pay rent on the service plazas it operates for “several years.” Even the McDonald’s Corporation, which holds the master lease for food at 14 of the 18 service plazas, has several outstanding balances owed to MassDOT, he says. Collins also highlighted issues with the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) lease of the Pope Island Marina to the New Bedford Port Authority (NBPA).

The findings, from the Internal Special Audit Unit (ISAU) 2022 Annual Report, were referenced by Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro during remarks to state lawmakers last month.

“The Inspector General further stated that, in order to recoup even a fraction of what was owed to the state, costly legal action was required. Findings such as these highlight the need to ensure that companies and entities engaged in long-term lease agreements are not taking advantage of public agencies,” said Collins.

“For these reasons, I respectfully request that MassDOT conduct a full and complete audit of all current service plaza contracts and operations prior to commencing the upcoming RFP process,” Collins continued. “In the Inspector General’s letter to MassDOT, he clearly demonstrates the need for strong audit clauses in long-term concession contracts. By engaging in such a review now, the Commonwealth can be better positioned for the upcoming bid process and ensure it has the tools in place to better protect taxpayers moving forward.”

Collins’ letter comes nearly a month after Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro sent an investigatory letter to Eng regarding its investigation into the Applegreen service plaza debacle, led by Tibbits-Nutt, describing the process as “not a model procurement.” It also came just days before the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight heard testimony from Shapiro on the botched deal.

Applegreen was a politically connected bidder that was awarded a 35-year contract for the rebuild of the highway service plazas, despite independent analysis showing a proposal by rival bidder Global Partners would have delivered more revenue to the state.

At the Post Audit and Oversight hearing, Eng and Transportation Undersecretary Jonathan Gulliver testified on the bungled deal, pushing MassDOT’s new highway service plaza procurement process, coordinating with a public-private partnership commission that officials say will “provide independent oversight” on RFP development. It would also include dividing procurement into three separate sections of the highway project that would be contracted out to separate bidders.

“Such a review is critical before moving forward with a new procurement process, as it would provide valuable lessons to better inform the structure of the next RFP and future long-term state lease agreements, as well as allow the state to recoup any funds owed prior to commencing any new bid processes,” said Collins.

Eng and MassDOT leadership held a service plaza procurement “Industry Day” in Boston on Wednesday to “discuss the upcoming procurement with prospective qualified operators, designers, builders, consultants, and contractors.”