UH pours out cash for consultants

Senators cite large spending on law firms in dealing with the Wonder concert

By Rob Perez

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 07, 2012

~~<p>The University of Hawaii's hiring of three private law firms to work on the aftermath of the failed Stevie Wonder concert reflects an overall tendency by the school to spend large amounts of money on outside consultants without sufficient regard to how much the work will cost, whether the jobs could be done internally and whether the quality of services received was worth the price, according to two senators who served on the panel examining UH accountability issues.</p>
<p>"It seems as though for every little thing, they hire a consultant," said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who led the questioning by a special Senate committee in the wake of the botched benefit concert.</p>
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The University of Hawaii's hiring of three private law firms to work on the aftermath of the failed Stevie Wonder concert reflects an overall tendency by the school to spend large amounts of money on outside consultants without sufficient regard to how much the work will cost, whether the jobs could be done internally and whether the quality of services received was worth the price, according to two senators who served on the panel examining UH accountability issues.

"It seems as though for every little thing, they hire a consultant," said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who led the questioning by a special Senate committee in the wake of the botched benefit concert. Login for more...