Real estate hopeful Mary Purcell says she is left on hold unable to take her state licensing exam while a contract dispute between Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation and computer-based testing services vendors rages on.

"I have recently finished my real estate license course and passed the end of course exam," explains Purcell. "It seems that the state exams are on hold due to a dispute between the testing vendor (10 year contract expired May 20) and another vendor sued because they thought they should have gotten the new contract. In the meantime, there are thousands of people waiting to take the state test. What I would like to know is when they think this will be resolved...so I can proceed with my career in real estate?"

Purcell can proceed with her real estate career - by scheduling an old-fashioned paper exam. According to a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Division of Real Estate spokesperson, she will be able to download forms to get a testing date online.

According to the regulatory Website, the suspension of computer-based testing is temporary.

The contract for computer based testing services between a vendor and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation expired on May 20, 2003. A challenge to the department's decision to award the contract to a particular vendor has created a temporary suspension in testing. Individuals holding reservations with our vendor will not be examined via computer based testing pending resolution of this temporary situation. The department is doing everything possible to contact all candidates for examination to inform them of the situation. We sincerely regret this inconvenience and anticipate that the protest will be resolved soon. 

Explains spokesperson Meg Shannon, "There was a dispute between the department and a vendor for computer-based methods of examinations. The contract we had in place was set to expire, and we announced our intent to award the contract to another vendor. Another vendor who was bidding put in a "bid protest" which means they were disputing either a part of bidding process, or that they didn't feel it should be awarded to the vendor we awarded it to.

A bid protest, in effect, shuts the award down and now the department has no computer-based exam vendor.

Continues Shannon, "The bid process is reviewed and nothing moves forward until that process. In this instance, it was complicated. As our previous contract was expiring and we didn't have another vendor we decided to award the contract. At that point the vendor who put in the bid protest wanted the decision to award the contract suspended and the First District Court of Appeals awarded a stay. So now there is no vendor. We are legally required to suspend computer- based testing, and then we started offering paper-based examinations, and we are trying to resolve the legal dispute."

How was the contract allowed to run out without another vendor stepping in?

"It was an unusual set of circumstances," says Shannon. "We had begun working on it a year and a half prior to that, and we had a series of biddings, but they were so close to each other, we threw them out, and started the process over. That's when we chose the next vendor, and the other vendor protested the process. We are trying to resolve this as quickly as possible."

The online testing has also been halted to license new auctioneers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, cosmetologists, veterinarians, barbers, funeral directors and embalmers, asbestos consultants and landscape architects.

Notes Shannon, "Current licensees aren't being impacted. It's only new licensees."

Published: July 2, 2003

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