The DeKalb County Finance, Audit & Budget (FAB) Committee approved two agreements with Periscope Holdings, operating through NIGP Consulting, to audit procurement operations and temporarily provide senior procurement staff.

The committee approved a contract (contract no. 200297) not to exceed $300,000 for a strategic assessment of Purchasing and Contracting that will cover procurement policy, process review, small-business program effectiveness, benchmarking, policy development and process mapping. The committee also approved a cooperative agreement under the North Central Texas Council of Governments master service agreement for temporary procurement staffing, with a not-to-exceed amount of $800,384.

The strategic assessment and staffing contract was presented by Director Butler, Purchasing and Contracting director, who said the county began conversations with NIGP/Periscope in 2024 and planned a phased approach. "We were already in the process of working towards improvements... we were planning a phased approach," Director Butler said, and added that the new administration provided the additional funding needed to move beyond the initial phase.

Director Butler described the cooperative agreement as a temporary measure to address a loss of experienced procurement staff: "Procurement is a profession. We actually have a team of a lot of new staff members. A lot of our seasoned individuals have departed us... we still need seniors and that is a difficult role to fill. So in the interim we have partnered with NIGP Periscope to fill that gap. It is a temporary measure. It is not meant to be a forever thing." She said interviews for two procurement managers have been completed and that Periscope personnel have already begun work on ramped-up procurements tied to the Department of Watershed Management capital improvement program and consent-decree obligations.

Commissioner Patrick praised the approach as a way to restore service levels and encouraged the county to seek internal options where feasible. The motions to approve both items carried after the committee voted, with the chair recording aye votes.

The agreements will allow the county both to commission an outside review of procurement operations and to bring in experienced temporary procurement staff immediately while recruitment continues for senior in-house positions. The cooperative arrangement uses NCTCOG’s competitively procured contract vehicle.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the strategic assessment contract (contract no. 200297; vendor: Periscope Holdings, care of NIGP Consulting; amount not to exceed $300,000) and the cooperative staffing agreement (Periscope Holdings, care of NIGP Consulting; amount not to exceed $800,384).