By: Jennifer M. Horn and Robert Ruggieri
A September 1, 2011 decision by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals reminds us of the critical importance of strictly following contractual and procurement procedures before performing change order work for a pubic entity; and of the perils of proceeding with work outside the scope of a contract without formal approval, even where employees and agents of the public entity request and provide informal, and even written authorization, for the additional work.
Baltimore County, Maryland v. AECOM Services, Inc., f/k/a DMJM H&N, Inc.
This case concerned a dispute between Baltimore County (County) and DMJM H&N, Inc., now known as AECOM Services, Inc. (DMJM) over payment for services performed by DMJM for the County in connection with the expansion of the Baltimore County Detention Center (Project). DMJM entered into a contract with the County to provide architectural and engineering services for the Project. The County sued DMJM seeking damages for an alleged breach of contract and negligence. DMJM countersued, seeking payment for services provided both under the “base contract” and for “additional services” performed outside the scope of the base contract. After trial, the jury found that DMJM did not breach its contract, and had not been negligent. More importantly, the jury awarded DMJM damages in the amount of $1,653,600, the majority of which included payment for the additional services. Appeals followed, with the most important issue being whether DMJM was entitled to payment for the additional services where DMJM had not obtained a formal contract amendment approved by the County Council for the additional services.
Language in the contract required not only written authorization by the County, but also approval by the County Council before the contract amount could be increased. DMJM claimed that during the course of the Project it had performed significant additional services valued at $1,471,498, that were authorized and requested by County officials, but had not been formally approved by a contract amendment.
The Court’s “Harsh” Ruling
The Appeals Court, relying on a strict interpretation of the contact, the Baltimore County Charter, the Baltimore County Code, and prior Maryland case law, reversed the jury’s award to DMJM for the additional services, and held that DMJM was not entitled to payment for any of the additional services because they were not formally approved by the County and County Council in a written amendment. First, the Court stated that the contract language unambiguously required written authorization from the County to obligate the County to pay for the additional services. Second, the Court found that the Baltimore County Code and Baltimore County Charter required that a contract amendment had to be approved by the County Council to be enforceable; because the County Council never approved an amendment for the additional services, the County could not be liable for payment. Finally, the Court relied on prior Maryland case law that set forth the principle that “a government entity may never have an obligation imposed upon it except in the formal manner expressly provided by law.” The rationale behind this principle, the Court provided, is that public funds must be protected by stringent procurement procedures, not only against outside parties, but even against its own employees and agents.
The Court was not persuaded by DMJM’s argument that County Council approval was only required for the underlying contracts, but not for changes to existing contracts. Nor did the Court accept DMJM’s argument that the County had waived its right to rely the strict procedures of the contract and Baltimore’s code and charter by acting and proceeding as if all the requirements had been met and informally approved and authorized the additional services.
The Court acknowledged that its ruling was harsh, but insisted that it was not unjust, and that there are sound policy reasons for its harshness. The Court reasoned that DMJM knew, or should have known, by the terms of the contract, that County Council approval was required for all amendments, and that the law imputes upon the party contracting with the municipality knowledge of the municipality’s limitations. The Court’s decision makes it abundantly clear that even if the additional services were done at the express request and direction of the County’s employees and agents, DMJM would still not be entitled to payment because the exact contract requirements were not fulfilled. The Court reasoned that it is more reasonable that an individual contractor or design professional occasionally suffer from the mistakes of public officials and agents who improperly authorize additional work than to risk detriment or injury to the public. The Court also reiterated that no state more rigidly enforces these principles than Maryland, and that those who deal with employees and agents of a Maryland municipality must, at their peril, take notice of the limits of the powers of both the municipality and those who assume to act as its agents and officers.
Not all states are as unforgiving as Maryland when it comes to allowing payment to contractors and design professionals who have performed work not approved in 100% accordance with contract requirements. States such as Pennsylvania, in certain circumstances, will consider other factors, such as whether the municipality was prejudiced and/or whether the municipality, though its conduct of requesting and informally approving additional work, waived its right to rely on strict contractual procedures to avoid payment obligations. Nonetheless, this case provides an important lesson to all contractors and design professionals, in any state, of the importance of strictly following procedures for changed or extra work and the perils of not doing so, especially when contracting with public entities.
Jennifer M. Horn is Senior Counsel at Cohen Seglias and a member of the Construction Group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of construction litigation and real estate.
Robert Ruggieri is an associate at Cohen Seglias and a member of the Construction Group. He concentrates his practices in the area of complex construction litigation.