Chapter 14 - THE OUTCOME
The city allowed Mercer to remain in the procurement process after corrective disclosure.
But accessibility scoring was reopened.
Mercer had to:
remove Naomi’s certification,
submit independent third-party review,
correct proposal language,
and disclose the document-control failure.
They lost points.
A competitor ultimately won the contract.
Was that because of Naomi?
Partly.
Was it because Mercer’s proposal had other weaknesses?
Yes.
Pricing.
Schedule risk.
Community engagement.
No single dramatic domino.
Blake blamed Naomi for months.
Then the board showed him the final score sheet.
Mercer would likely have lost even with full accessibility points.
That fact destroyed the revenge story.
Blake had assaulted Naomi over a contract his company might not have won anyway.
He accepted a misdemeanor assault plea.
Probation.
Anger-management intervention.
Restitution for Naomi’s medical costs and damaged clothing.
Julian faced no criminal charge.
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The board removed him from final proposal approvals for a period and required stronger document-control procedures.
Consequences matched roles.
