The Legislative Audit Council reports that DOT officials are doing a better job of estimating the actual cost of road projects, prior to being put out to bid, and the agency has adopted a policy to keep that information confidential until bids have been taken.

No longer are bid openings held at a Columbia hotel, a gathering that the LAC had said could create an atmosphere conducive to bid-rigging. Bids now are required to be submitted electronically.

Meanwhile, the highway department and federal highway officials are developing a policy to determine under what circumstances a bid should be reviewed or rejected. That policy is particularly important since the state continues to receive two or fewer bidders on nearly half of the resurfacing projects. For 14 percent of projects, the DOT receives only a single bid.

But the lack of competitive bidding on many resurfacing projects may indicate that a project is only close to a single asphalt plant. Asphalt has to be laid shortly after its production.

The DOT has taken corrective action to safeguard the state against the ill effects of non-competitive bidding, and to limit the potential for bid-rigging in South Carolina. Its action should produce a higher level of public confidence, and ensure that scarce road funds are used productively.