COM 0384.000 2012-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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T0EFOOO posh{ Msweli Wools food Book TFBI, therefore, bought a large quantity of food with little analysis of real world data and in great quantities at once, severely reducing available floor and handling space. As the report shows, 19,387 lbs. were salvaged as unusable. Some product is salvaged due to damage during delivery or handling, some for factory defects in packaging, and some for spoilage. In this case, a fair amount of rice was salvaged because rice had already been donated by the community and the USDA, and the heat during handling and storage over a long period of time caused the early emergence of dwarf flour beetles already present in the rice. Had TFBI been able to purchase the rice and other dry, perishable product over a period of time rather than all at once, less salvage would have occurred. Finally,ambiguities in the contract made it difficult to comply. Without a specified expectation or format for reporting, it is impossible to know what the minimum thresholds for compliance are. Although a "final report"was specified, this specification did not offer details on what would constitute the final accounting for the project. In our attachments TFBI has included agencies, schools, and number of individuals served, however none of this is mandatory. TFBI has designed and collected monthly data, compiled herein, but again these were designed in reaction to the County's guidelines, not because any of the monthly reports stipulated by contract were required to contain this information. Because the monies provided by the County were expended prior to July, 2012,the financial report sent to Chair Yagong dated June 28, 2012 is, indeed, a final accounting of what the funds were used to purchase. It is erroneous to say,therefore,that these funds are not accounted for. In fact,the trail of purchasing cannot be any more simple or clear. To ensure the trail is substantiated, we have enclosed bank statements and checks reconciling the invoices. However, TFBI does acknowledge monthly reports were not filed with the County. We submit that if the expectation was fiscal reporting from month to month,the abovementioned report should suffice as a "final" accounting. Recommendations 1. Establish a process to provide clarity and set expectations Currently, procurement law does provide for the use of emergency funds through crisis purchasing under Hawaii Revised Statues Chapter 103F, Section 406. Although no bidding was done for the funds,the duration of deliberation by the Council does suggest ample time existed for practicable competition and consultation with the Chief Procurement Officer. It is well within the Council's authority to prioritize the needs of the citizens of Hawai'i Island,however crisis services may be readily available from a number of different sources. In this instance no administrative funds were provided, suggesting this was not a health or human service procurement, but rather a purchase of goods and services. If the County simply wished to purchase and distribute food, a non-profit intermediary was not necessary. By utilizing some sort of soliciting document with a short application window, such as a crisis RFP,the County can clearly define outcomes and set expectations in writing. Non-profits or for-profits in this case could then offer their services in a format demonstrating their planned expenditures eliminating confusion and speculation. Once the expectations are clear and outcomes set,reports and other communication detailing the implementation and success of the program follow from the outcomes. The correct data can then be collected from the community without asking extraneous questions and increasing the time and paperwork burden on the individuals and families. 5