Alternative Opportunities retains Joplin license office

As a result of the state's competitive bidding process for motor vehicle and license offices, the Joplin office will remain under its current management.

Springfield-based nonprofit Alternative Opportunities Inc. will continue to be the agent for the Joplin office, 1110 E. Seventh St. The organization has operated the Joplin office since August 2009.

The winning bid in Joplin was one of three submitted. The bid, which included a 7 percent annual return to the state, is for one year with a state option to renew for three additional one-year periods. According to figures from fiscal 2009, more than $500,000 in agent processing fees were generated in that office, meaning the state could see a return of more than $35,000.

The Joplin office is one of 10 that initially were awarded in 2009 but rebid because of incomplete information provided by the winning bidder in the first round of bidding, according to a Missouri Department of Revenue news release.

According to previous Springfield Business Journal coverage, those offices were put up for rebid when it was determined that Tom Goss, the company's CFO and the listed contract manager on the bids, is not paid by AO but by Tucson, Ariz.-based WD Management. Bidders are not allowed to use subcontractors to provide main services in the license offices.

The 10 offices were in Ava, Camdenton, Creve Coeur, Joplin, Nevada, Olivette, Poplar Bluff and Republic, along with two in Springfield. Offices in Ava and Nevada have since been re-awarded to AO.[[In-content Ad]]