Brockton Public Schools adopt new procurement form, tighten controls after audit

Kim Tsai, director of strategy and compliance for Brockton Public Schools, told the school committee on Jan. 21 that the district has begun implementing new systems to tighten procurement and demonstrate compliance with state purchasing rules.

Why it matters: The presentation responds to findings in last year’s independent budget audit and aims to reduce late invoices, duplicate payments and gaps in contract documentation that have delayed vendor payments and complicated financial oversight.

Tsai said staff reviewed open purchase orders pulled Dec. 12 and “we were able to review a 169 out of the 351 purchase orders thus far.” She said the review showed 33% of the open purchase orders were related to special-education placement and transportation agreements and that 28% of the orders reviewed did not appear likely to exceed $10,000. “This trend may not be determinative of any future purchases,” she added, noting seasonal variation in spending.

The team also pared the vendor list for student transportation: of more than 250 vendors initially listed, Tsai said only 90 are actively transporting students, and the district has obtained 45 updated certificates of insurance for those vendors. “We certainly appreciate Mister Mayor for signing 76 agreements that provided the rates and the routes,” she said.

To reduce errors and centralize information, Tsai described an interactive procurement form that guides staff through required steps (state-contract numbers, three-quote thresholds, City of Brockton contract templates) and automatically generates simple analysis of submissions. Contract documents and quotes will be uploaded into Munis and backed up in Microsoft Teams so the district can demonstrate progress to outside auditors, she said.

The presentation also outlined workload and staffing steps: the district has reallocated staff who are MCPPO-certified (Massachusetts procurement certification) to draft justifications, support sole-source determinations and prepare invitations for formal bids. Tsai said the advertised procurement officer position was reposted after a first recruitment failed to attract qualified applicants; the posting was retooled to focus on “procurement officer” responsibilities rather than a combined budget/procurement title.

School committee members and city officials who questioned Tsai underscored practical next steps. Member Judy Sullivan asked whether the city’s chief procurement officer is handling procurement for the schools now; Tsai answered, “Mike Morris is the chief procurement officer for the whole city and all the departments, including the schools.” Member Jorge Vega pressed the team to prioritize which projects would be completed this fiscal year; Tsai said the immediate focus is on building the foundational processes and meeting staff where they are in adoption.

Tsai said the district is coordinating closely with the City Solicitor’s office and the city auditor to triage outstanding invoices and to mark which purchases may qualify as exemptions under Chapter 30B, the Commonwealth’s procurement law. She described the work as meeting recommendation K from the independent budget audit: “bridging the artificial divide between the two systems and work collaboratively on school finances.”

The superintendent and committee members praised the progress while acknowledging work remains: the district continues to scan returned invoices, upload contract documents into Munis, obtain revised insurance certificates from vendors and to refine a workflow so vendors and city staff can more quickly track and resolve outstanding payments.

What’s next: Tsai and district leaders said they will continue the Friday coordination meetings with the city auditor, pursue a fully featured vendor portal or deeper Munis functionality, and continue recruitment for a dedicated procurement officer. She recommended additional training for staff in procurement requirements and planned a phased rollout of the interactive form.

Quote: “It is important that we’re able to demonstrate our efforts,” Tsai told the committee, summarizing the district’s emphasis on repeatable documentation and real-time tracking.

Ending: Committee members said they will ask Munis representatives to present capabilities to the committee and will schedule follow-up work sessions to monitor vendor payments and procurement compliance.