Audit finds ‘due regard to best value,’ flags gaps in $6M of Vancouver furniture buys – BC

Vancouver’s Comptroller General said the city “with few exceptions” will purchase about $6 million in office furniture over a 30-month period to achieve its objective of “fully considering the best value.” said he did.

report released on Wednesdayis the second audit by Comptroller General Mike McDonnell and his office and makes five recommendations to the city.

Buying office furniture in Vancouver was a hot topic in September 2020. A report by Global News reveals that it has spent about $317,000 on high-end furniture for the renovation of City Hall amid COVID-19 cost pressures.

The performance audit doesn’t specifically talk about the purchase, but covers the period from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.

The audit examined procurement-related policies from the city’s supply chain management (SCM) department and purchases made by the real estate and facilities management (REFM) department.

However, that scope did not include the city’s decisions on whether to purchase office furniture. This, McDonnell’s office says, will review for his 2024.

Overall, the audit found that the city’s office furniture purchases complied with established purchasing-related policies.

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“The city had an evaluation process for selecting office furniture, had a reasonably comprehensive procurement policy, and used up-to-date supplier agreements,” Macdonell found.

However, the audit “found several areas where the City did not fully meet its audit standards and found opportunities to improve the process the City is moving forward,” he concluded.

According to the audit, there were some concerns related to the SCM department’s policy.

This report details how furniture suppliers were pre-qualified through the 2016 Request for Qualification (RFQ). However, he noted that his RFQ lacked clarity about the selection process and results, and whether his RFQ was binding, and asked suppliers to respond to his 76-page document. Only said he was given only 12 days.

Additionally, the City has been unable to add qualified suppliers since 2016, deviating from its own policies and trade agreements when extending arrangements with pre-qualified suppliers beyond the RFQ period. I noticed that.

Most of the purchases made by the REFM department were based on past furniture selections based on weighted evaluations, but concerns have also been reported.

We found that the department did not have a defined and documented timeline for when and how often to conduct and update assessments.

The department also failed to produce price lists with all suppliers and, in at least one case, conducted evaluations without an adequate level of documentation.

The audit recommended that the City update its procurement policies to ensure it meets all trade agreement obligations and that both the REFM and SCM departments update their procurement strategies in advance of the City’s next furniture policy. increase.

Also, the SCM and legal departments should review and update the RFQ template.

It also provided the REFM department with clear guidelines on when and how often to evaluate furniture and systems to get the best value, and ensured that price lists were consistent with commonly requested furniture supply contracts. We ask that you establish

In a statement, deputy mayor Armin Amroria said “many” of the audit’s comments and recommendations were “assigned to senior management to update policies with recent regulatory requirements, develop procurement strategies, It is a reminder to change standard operating procedures and continue to build on existing processes.” Preparing for the next procurement of office furniture and other future purchases.

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