Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Contracting Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves retroactive amendments to Meals on Wheels contract after Human Services Agency concedes procedural errors
Summary
Supervisors unanimously approved several retroactive contract amendments that increased Meals on Wheels funding to a total not‑to‑exceed $26.2 million for 2017–2020, after HSA staff acknowledged the agency failed to obtain required Board approvals and described internal fixes.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved (11–0) April 9 a set of retroactive amendments to the City’s grant agreement with Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, increasing the contract to a total not‑to‑exceed amount of $26.2 million for nutritional services spanning July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2020.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin raised concerns that the Human Services Agency (HSA) had repeatedly modified the Meals on Wheels contract without obtaining the board approvals required by Charter section 9.118. He said the contract and subsequent amendments “should have gone before the Board of Supervisors four times” and urged agency staff to explain how the procedural lapse occurred and what safeguards would prevent a recurrence.
John Sudakawa, HSA’s director of contracts, told the board the department had audited its portfolio and identified 11 grants and contracts over $10 million, finding Meals on Wheels was the sole contract that lacked proper approvals. Sudakawa described a combination of legacy practices, database tracking gaps and transition between contract staff that led to the oversight. He outlined roughly 16 process changes HSA has implemented, including staff training, expanded database checks, revised certification checklists, contract boilerplate changes to flag board approvals, and more rigorous director‑level and City Attorney review.
“Meals on Wheels are an important contractor,” Sudakawa said, noting the nonprofit provides more than 1.7 million meals annually to seniors and people with disabilities. Sudakawa and supervisors said they would address the matter further in an upcoming Government Audit & Oversight Committee hearing.
Action: The board adopted resolutions retroactively authorizing the executive director of HSA to approve the historic amendments and increases (motions reflected in item 11), and accepted HSA’s commitment to internal reforms. The board’s unanimous vote finalized approval of the retroactive funding increases.
