OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several of the University of Nebraska's biggest projects at its Lincoln and Omaha campuses are being built through private partnerships that don't use public bidding.
The World-Herald reports that bids weren't used to award much of the work being done on the $323 million cancer center in Omaha, the $188 million research park in Lincoln or the $88 million arena in Omaha.
Private donations of millions of dollars helped build all those projects.
The university set up private corporations to build the projects that shielded the contracts from public scrutiny.
University officials say the public-private arrangements are legal and help make it easier to solicit donations. They also say the elected Board of Regents provides oversight when it approves the projects.
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