Has The InsureNet Push Run Aground?

InsureNet's bid to land a lucrative Oklahoma contract for the installation and operation of controversial highway traffic "spy" cameras may have run aground, The McCarville Report Online has been told.

The Chicago-based company, which has used former OU and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer and others to advocate its controversial plan for a system of cameras to nab vehicle insurance scofflaws here and in other states, is among those who have placed bids with the Department of Central Services. The bids apparently are now being evaluated; a contract has not yet been awarded.

Those familiar with the process tell The McCarville Report Online that InsureNet's effort took a hit when specifications prepared by the Department of Public Safety included companies with only a single-state capability. InsureNet has been touted as the only firm that can scan license plates from any state and determine if the vehicle is properly insured. That means the system would generate income for the state from out-of-state residents rather than just from in-state residents.

The single-state provision allowed other companies to bid, thus weakening InsureNet's position as a single-source provider; that could have ensured the company would get the contract.

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