This story was originally published byProPublica.
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Ramp sells corporate credit cards and artificial intelligence software for businesses to analyze spending.
© ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images
It didnt take long for Ramp to find a willing audience.
Founded six years ago, Ramp is backed by some of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley.
The special attention Gruenbaum paid to Ramp raised flags inside and outside the agency.
He said career civil servants should lead the process to pick the best choice for taxpayers.
You dont want to give this impression that leadership has already decided the winner somehow.
Ramp did not respond to requests for comment.
Leaders of the early payments company include several influential players surrounding the Trump administration, including Musk and Thiel.
Trump has nominated Helberg for a senior role at the State Department.
Helberg said he has no involvement in anything related to Ramp whatsoever.
Thrive Capital, Kushners firm, did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Thiel did not provide a comment.
The cards typically are used to fund travel and purchases up to $10,000.
SmartPay is the lifeblood of the government, said former GSA commissioner Sonny Hashmi, who oversaw the program.
She had criticized waste in government credit card programs before the latest SmartPay system was implemented in 2018.
This was a huge problem about 20-25 years ago, she said.
In the past 15 years, there have been new controls put into government credit card purchases.
More recent government audits found some instances where officials did not always use anti-fraud tools.
But some industry players who submitted responses said they did not hear back from the government.
Instead, GSA started meeting with Ramp.
The winner has not yet been announced.
The agency declined to answer questions about whether Ramp had already been chosen internally for SmartPay work.
The pilot program is unique because it uses a special GSA purchasing authority known as commercial solutions opening.
The designation means the chosen contractor can be selected faster and without the same level of controls.
Its not clear how Ramp originally secured private meetings with GSA leaders.
Nor is it clear if Ramp will ultimately take over the entire SmartPay contract from Citibank and U.S. Bank.
Spokespeople for U.S. Bank and Citibank declined to comment.
It is clear that Ramp has never had a client like the federal government.
The only public-sector partnerlisted on its webpageis a charter school online grid in Nashville, Tennessee.
The SmartPay contract negotiation has so far flown under the radar.
It also represents a giant business opportunity.
But you have to ask: What is the problem thats being solved?
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