Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.metro From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: District 'violates' its laws Date: Tue, 24 Nov 92 14:12:10 EST Message-ID: Lines: 86 \SE B;METROPOLITAN \HD District 'violates' its laws \SH Auditor attacks no-contract buys \BY Jonetta Rose Barras \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES The D.C. Department of Administrative Services routinely allowed the Corrections Department to buy goods and services without contracts, the city's auditor says in a report. City Auditor Otis Troupe said such "emergency" contracting has become the "norm rather than the exception." He said consistently using emergency, sole-source contracts violates the city's procurement laws. "It is the auditor's conclusion that the District's chief contracting office continues to have serious problems in the lawful procurement of goods and services," Mr. Troupe wrote in his Nov. 17 report, which covers contracts issued from 1989 through 1991. The non-contracted services, which cost about $80 million, were for everything from housing inmates in federal prisons to providing medical care and disposing of sludge. They also included computer repairs and consultant services. D.C. law mandates that the Department of Administrative Services is responsible for approving all contracts involving any D.C. agency. The city's procurement law says an emergency is a situation - such as a flood, epidemic, riot or equipment failure - that creates an immediate threat to the public health, welfare or safety. "The existence of an emergency condition creates an immediate need for supplies, services or construction which cannot be met through normal procurement methods," the regulations state. "The method [emergency contracting] continues to be abused and is, in our opinion, illegal according to current contracting regulations. . . . We find it an uneconomical, inefficient waste of employee time and taxpayer dollars," Mr. Troupe said in the report. The audit also found corrections officials increased the amount of contracts without first getting approval from DAS. "It is the auditor's belief that District agency managers who allow employees to continuously obtain goods and services without benefit of contracts failed to prioritze economy, efficiency and the effectiveness of government operations," Mr. Troupe stated in the report. In one case the auditor found 16 emergency contracts totalling $15 million awarded to one organization - Hope Village Inc., which provides technical and consulting work for various prison services. The contracts were for as short as 56 days and as long as 95 days. Corrections spokesman Walter Woodard said officials were still reviewing the audit and would have no comment. DAS spokeswoman Cynthia Hawkins-Leon said she had not seen the final audit and was unable to comment on it. Joseph Wilmer, director of Hope Village, did not return telephone calls to his office yesterday. The audit was requested by D.C. Council member Wilhelmina Rolark, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees Corrections. Mrs. Rolark did not return telephone calls yesterday to her office. But council member James Nathanson, chairman of the council's Committee on Government Operations, called the large amount of emergency contracting "ridiculous." Mr. Nathanson earlier this year held a public hearing on emergency contracting approved by DAS on behalf of corrections. During that hearing it was disclosed that DAS routinely awarded on the Corrections Department behalf contracts for ice cream, bread and tobacco products. Among those contracts was a $74,326 contract to the Briggs Ice Cream Co. and a $70,000 contract to Breadmakers Co. * Vincent McCraw contributed to this report. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM