Pam Jones, principal and chief strategist for Culturally Connected Communications in Little Rock. (Kerry Prichard)
The clicking clock of COVID-19 led Arkansas health officials to bypass typical competitive bidding procedures in awarding $8 million in advertising contracts to three Little Rock marketing firms, officials say, explaining that Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s pandemic emergency order allowed for the expedited process.
The one-year, renewable contracts awarded to the Cranford Co., The Design Group and Culturally Connected Communications were announced in late May, setting off a round of questions from several marketers and ad agencies who said they hadn’t even realized the work was available. The governor’s COVID emergency decree expired at the beginning of June.
Arkansas
United-states
Lonoke-county
Little-rock
Americans
American
Meg-mirivel
John-deere
Laudies-dow-brantley-jr
Pam-jones
Jay-cranford
Asa-hutchinson