State Records Raise Questions About $250,000 No-Bid Contract for Miguel Cardona’s Company

HARTFORD, Connecticut — Public records from the State of Connecticut are raising questions about a no-bid consulting contract worth up to $250,000 awarded to a company owned by former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Governor Ned Lamont established the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission by executive order on April 2, 2026. Cardona, who previously served as Connecticut’s education commissioner, was appointed chairman.

The governor’s official announcement described the commission’s members as unpaid volunteers. However, state contracting records subsequently showed that Cardona Solutions LLC, Cardona’s private consulting company, received a 12-month contract worth up to $250,000 to support the commission’s work.

The contract was executed through the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy without a competitive bidding process.

The commission was created to examine how Connecticut prepares students, jobseekers and workers for a changing economy.

Its responsibilities include developing a five-year strategic plan addressing career education and workforce-training programs, industry-recognized credentials, work-based learning opportunities, cooperation between schools, employers and workforce organizations, changes created by artificial intelligence and automation, and Connecticut’s ability to compete in the national and global economy.

The commission must coordinate with the Governor’s Workforce Council and the Office of Workforce Strategy. Cardona, as chairman, reports directly to the governor.

According to state contracting documents, Cardona Solutions is expected to perform work beyond Cardona’s responsibilities as commission chairman.

The company’s responsibilities reportedly include facilitating the commission’s work and meetings; researching Connecticut’s existing education and career pathways; analyzing programs and workforce information; coordinating participation by employers, educators and other stakeholders; developing recommendations; and helping prepare the commission’s draft and final reports.

The contract is divided into three phases, with payment dependent upon the completion of specific work.

The commission is expected to produce a draft plan by December 2026 and submit a final report by February 15, 2027.

The most important question involves the difference between the state’s original public announcement and the later consulting agreement.

In April, the governor’s office described members of the commission as unpaid volunteers. Cardona was publicly identified as the commission’s chairman.

Cardona himself is not necessarily receiving a salary for serving as chairman. Instead, his private company is being paid separately to provide consulting services to the commission.

That distinction may be legally significant, but members of the public could reasonably ask why the possibility of a paid consulting contract was not disclosed when Cardona was announced as chairman; why the contract was awarded without allowing other qualified companies to submit proposals; and how the state will distinguish Cardona’s unpaid duties from his company’s paid consulting work.

Additional questions include who will evaluate whether Cardona Solutions has completed the required work, whether the chairman can objectively supervise work performed by his own company, why a contract worth up to $250,000 was necessary for a commission presented as volunteer-led, and whether the company was considered before the commission was publicly announced.

These questions do not prove that Cardona or the Lamont administration violated any law. They concern transparency, oversight and the appearance of a possible conflict.

The Office of Workforce Strategy waived the normal competitive selection process.

The administration’s stated justification is that the commission has a compressed schedule and must complete its workforce plan within a limited period.

However, the absence of competitive bidding means the public cannot compare Cardona Solutions’ proposed price and qualifications with offers from other consulting companies. Competitive bidding is generally intended to help government agencies demonstrate that taxpayers are receiving appropriate services at a reasonable cost.

Before finalizing the agreement, the Office of Workforce Strategy requested guidance from the Connecticut Office of State Ethics.

The informal ethics guidance reportedly did not identify a prohibited conflict under the provisions of the state ethics code that apply to public officials and state employees.

Cardona Solutions remains subject to ethics restrictions applicable to state contractors. Those rules include restrictions against using confidential state information for private financial benefit, accepting work that interferes with independent professional judgment, and accepting something of value intended to influence work performed for the state.

The ethics review is important, but it does not answer every public-policy question. A contract can comply with the specific ethics provisions reviewed and still generate concerns about disclosure, competitive bidding or public perception.

The agreement authorizes payments totaling up to $250,000. That does not necessarily mean the entire amount has already been paid.

Payments are connected to the completion of the contract’s phases and required work. The public can search Connecticut’s OpenCheckbook database to determine when payments are issued to Cardona Solutions.

Connecticut residents can review the underlying government information instead of relying exclusively on newspaper reports.

The governor’s executive order confirms the creation of the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission, Cardona’s appointment as chairman, the commission’s responsibilities, its relationship with the governor and state workforce agencies, and the deadlines for its strategic plan.

The governor’s original announcement provides the public description of the commission and its volunteer membership. Connecticut’s contracting system can be searched for the agreement involving Cardona Solutions LLC. The Office of State Ethics maintains public information concerning advisory opinions and ethics requirements, and the state comptroller’s OpenCheckbook system allows the public to search payments made to government contractors.

There has been no announced finding that Cardona, Cardona Solutions or Governor Lamont violated the law through this arrangement.

The controversy concerns the use of a no-bid contract, the relationship between Cardona’s two roles and whether the original announcement gave the public a complete understanding of the financial arrangement.

The New England Voice believes public contracts should be examined through original government documents and that readers should be able to review those records directly.

Executive Order No. 26-2 establishing the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission; Governor Lamont’s official announcement concerning the commission; Connecticut’s official state contracting portal, where readers can search for Cardona Solutions LLC; Connecticut Office of State Ethics advisory-opinion resources; and the Connecticut comptroller’s OpenCheckbook, where readers can search for payments to Cardona Solutions LLC.

This article distinguishes confirmed government records from questions raised by those records. A no-bid contract and a potential appearance of conflict do not, by themselves, establish illegal or unethical conduct.