Caddo Parish School Board launches ad hoc committee to review procurement and Opportunity Caddo

The Caddo Parish School Board on Thursday established an ad hoc committee to review district contracting practices and the Opportunity Caddo vendor program, with members charged to explore how more tax dollars can be kept in the parish.

The committee’s chair opened the meeting saying President Green asked him "to pretty much serve on this, as chairman of this committee to review our contracts, procurement and our Opportunity Caddo program" and framed the group’s goal as retaining local spending where legally possible.

Why it matters: committee members emphasized that keeping more work local could boost the parish economy, but staff repeatedly cautioned that state bid law constrains how the district can prefer local firms. Attorney Abrams told the group that "you have to bid items that are for procurement... and construction... all of those type projects also have to be bid," and that past statutory set-asides were declared unconstitutional. The attorney and procurement staff said RFP scoring (rated proposals) can include limited weighting, but sealed bid procurements cannot include a locality preference.

Staff and consultants briefed the committee on how Opportunity Caddo operates. Rebecca Scott, procurement staff, said the program is "based on the state of Louisiana's... economic development" certification and that it is available only to Louisiana businesses that meet certification rules; she described Opportunity Caddo as a database that can be used for non-bid purchases and to solicit subcontractors and smaller vendors.

Members asked staff to assemble specific information for the committee’s next meeting: a copy of the Opportunity Caddo policy, reports or metrics showing vendor participation, examples of barriers vendors report (bonding, insurance, contract size), and procurement process documentation so the committee can evaluate policy changes that could be implemented without violating state law. One participant summarized the local-economy rationale by noting local spending multipliers could range roughly from 1.5 to 3 — "so if $1,000,000 is spent locally... it actually has a turnover and an impact" — but staff said the committee must translate such goals into measures that comply with procurement rules.

What the committee directed: members asked staff to collect vendor feedback and data, provide a copy of the Opportunity Caddo policy and procurement guidance, and return with options that both respect state law and expand outreach and technical assistance for local vendors. The chair asked participants to submit follow-up questions in writing to staff lead "Doctor Vinson" so staff can gather answers ahead of the next meeting.

Next steps: the panel agreed to meet again and to produce a report and recommendations to the full board. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn.