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Sanford purchasing staff cite delays, outside review recommends adding personnel; city to watch digital‑workflow rollout
Summary
City purchasing presented KPIs showing long purchase-order processing times and cited turnover; an outside NIGP review recommended either expanding purchasing responsibilities or adding one staffer, with an estimated first-year cost of about $110,000 for an additional position.
Finance and purchasing staff told the commission that the city's procurement unit has struggled with long processing times and turnover and that an outside review recommended changes to reduce backlog.
Purchasing staff reported average days to process purchase orders that staff is trying to lower: the figure has been in the 20s and staff expects improvement after training and digital workflow upgrades. City staff described recent turnover in purchasing and said that while three purchasing staff currently work on orders, one position is unfilled. A National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) review cited the split responsibility for buying across departments and suggested two alternatives: centralize purchasing (which would require up to four additional staff) or, if responsibilities remain split, add one more purchasing staff member. The one‑staff option would cost about $110,000 annually, staff said.
Commissioners pressed staff on whether digital-transformation projects, workflow changes and more training would eliminate the need for adding personnel. Staff said those projects are expected to help and that leadership will evaluate results through the end of the calendar year; commissioners agreed to revisit staffing if target KPI improvements are not achieved.
No hiring decision was made during the workshop. Commissioners asked staff to report back on which workflows have been converted to online processes and to provide updated KPI trends and a midyear staffing recommendation if improvements do not materialize.
Purchasing staff said the department will continue quarterly training for departmental buyers and is piloting electronic workflow improvements with IT; commissioners set a review point near December to consider midyear additions if needed.
