An oil field company hired by the Lafayette Parish School System to do a project was not licensed as is required by state law - and the two bids it won the project over were forged, state officials say.
In a letter sent to LPSS last month, the Louisiana Licensing Board for Contractors told parish officials that a complaint was made alleging that an unlicensed contractor was performing drainage work at Charles Burke Elementary school.
The $124,500 project, bid in two pieces, was won by Maurice-based Bosco Oilfield Services LLC, the letter states. You can read the letter for yourself by scrolling down.
We reached out to Bosco; an employee told us the company representative was out of town and unavailable for comment.
LPSS records contained bids from two other companies for the project, but when the contractor board investigator contacted the companies, they said they hadn't submitted any bids. One said he did not bid on the project, and the other said he hadn't bid on it - and pointed out it wasn't even formatted as his company formats bids.
The Current first reported on this situation last month, about 10 days before the letter was sent to the school system on May 21. To read that story, click here. To read their story on today's development, click here.
Bosco was "found to be unlicensed" in violation of state law, the letter states. If the state board issues a formal ruling on that, Bosco faces a fine of up to 10 percent of the full value of the project, which would be $12,400.
"Bosco Oilfield Services, LLC, is being charged and will be scheduled to appear before the Board for a hearing. They will have an opportunity to apply for licensure which will entail a statutorily required financial and criminal background of its principals, passing any applicable trade exams, and passing the mandatory business and law course. One of the agency's goals is for unlicensed contractors who are eligible to obtain licensure do so and become compliant with the law," the letter states.
The contractor officials offered LPSS help in understanding how the rules work, but said LPSS needed to know that the bids were forged:
"Secondly, I wanted to let you know about the two documents that were provided to our investigator from LPSS reported by the contractors to be forged. With the LPSS being a public agency, you can understand why a state regulatory agency such as the LSLBC would be concerned about the allegation of false records being provided to us during the course of an investigation," the letter states. "It is not known if Siema Construction, LLC, and Clements Construction, LLC, will take further action and that is something they will have to decide. We have notified the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, as is required in these circumstances, of the complaint we investigated and our findings to include the allegations of forged documents. They gave no information on whether they have an active investigation or if they are going to initiate an investigation, nor did we inquire about such."
Here's the letter itself:
The letter was sent to media Tuesday morning by LPSS; here's the LPSS statement on what it says:
"The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) received a letter on May 21, 2025, from the Deputy Director of Enforcement with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC), outlining findings related to a recent complaint involving Bosco Oilfield Services.
"It is important to clarify that LPSS was not the subject of the LSLBC investigation, and there were no concerns raised regarding the quality or completion of the work performed by Bosco. The contracted work was completed as agreed, and no financial irregularities were found.
"The central issue addressed in the complaint involves whether Bosco Oilfield Services was properly licensed to perform the work at the time the contract was awarded. Additionally, the LSLBC letter revealed that several contractors who were listed as having submitted bids reported no recollection of submitting them. LPSS is treating this information seriously and is actively investigating the validity of the bid submissions to determine whether these bids were, in fact, submitted as documented.
"The District Progress and Compliance Director, along with members of the LPSS leadership team, launched an immediate internal investigation to review all relevant procedures and documentation. While the investigation is ongoing and no definitive conclusions have been reached, the LPSS Director of Facilities and Maintenance has already implemented additional internal safeguards to protect the integrity of the district’s procurement processes.
“We are committed to a full and fair review of the facts,” said Superintendent Francis Touchet. “If our investigation determines that the concerns raised by LSLBC are substantiated, LPSS will report its findings to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor and, if appropriate, refer the matter to law enforcement. ”
"LPSS remains firmly committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring all procurement and contracting practices uphold the highest ethical standards."
