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County commissioners criticize SHIP contractor Accenture after delays; Accenture commits to provide state guidance email
Summary
Commissioners pressed contractor Accenture over repeated requests for additional documentation and slow progress on the SHIP housing program; Accenture'affiliated staff said new state guidance on duplication-of-benefit checks arrived in early February and committed to deliver the guidance by noon the next day.
Taylor County commissioners publicly questioned the administration of a federally funded SHIP housing recovery program and its contractor, citing long delays, shifting documentation requests and stalled home repairs.
Commissioner Feagle urged the board to terminate the county's contract with the current administrator — identified in the record as Accenture (through prior acquisitions including GSG and Ampere) — after what she described as long delays and repeated new documentation requests that have held up bids and construction. She said the county has tens of thousands of dollars at stake and raised concern that program deadlines could force the county to return grant funds if work is not encumbered in time.
Accenture'affiliated staff on the call said recent state guidance prompted the latest round of requests. Corey Burbach, who identified himself as leading the contractor's grants and compliance group, said the state technical adviser issued updated guidance around duplication‑of‑benefit documentation at the beginning of February. He said the new guidance applied to several households because the program is funding demolition and full rebuilds in some cases and that Accenture had asked applicants to provide documentation showing how FEMA or other funds previously received were spent. Burbach committed to provide the county a copy of the state email and the guidance by lunchtime the next day.
At the hearing county staff and Accenture described the current application status in several waves: of the initial group of nine applicants, three had provided sufficient FEMA documentation and were ready to go to bid; four were actively working to obtain documentation; two were ineligible because prior emergency funds had been used on ineligible costs. A second group of eight applicants included four with FEMA documentation ready pending site inspections and reports and four still working on documentation. County staff summarized that about seven total applicants were "ready to go" pending inspections and site reports.
County officials repeatedly asked whether terminating Accenture now would risk losing application files or further delay projects. County grants staff (Melody) said Taylor County's grants office could potentially assume administration but said the ability to pick up the program depended on the condition of files Accenture would provide and staffing capacity; Melody estimated the county must encumber funds by June 2026 to meet program rules. The county attorney noted termination clauses exist in the contract and that records would be demanded in the event of termination.
Commissioners pressed for better proof of progress and for written documentation from the contractor. The board instructed staff to seek the promised state guidance from Accenture and to put the SHIP program back on an upcoming workshop agenda for another update. Several commissioners said they would consider termination if problems persisted, but no final vote to terminate occurred during the meeting.
Why it matters: the SHIP program is intended to restore housing to residents after declared disasters. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized the urgency for eligible households and expressed frustration that documentation requests appear to change over time, potentially slowing projects. County and Accenture staff framed the issues as compliance with federal/state duplication of benefit rules and the need to avoid future repayment obligations.
Direct quotes from the transcript: Commissioner Feagle said, "We need to fire this company as soon as possible," and an Accenture representative said, "That advisement came to us on, end of the beginning of February." County grants staff said the funds must be encumbered by June 2026.
Next steps: Accenture committed to deliver the written state guidance to County Administrator LaWanda by lunchtime the next day; the board added the SHIP program to a forthcoming workshop for another status update. No termination vote was recorded at the meeting.
