UAMS seeks ratification after amendment to FMLA outsourcing contract was not routed for review

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences officials asked the Legislative Council subcommittee to ratify payments and extend a contract for Family and Medical Leave Act outsourcing services after an amendment was processed internally but was not submitted to the committee for review.

Katie Walden summarized UAMS’s request, saying UAMS entered the contract with the vendor in 2019 and the contract was set to expire in 2024. UAMS staff reported they prepared an amendment but failed to forward that amendment for legislative review, and payments continued while the amendment was not on file with the subcommittee.

Andy Davis, speaking for UAMS, said staff received notifications that the contract was due to be renewed and that an amendment had been prepared and applied internally. “They did renew it. They did amend it. There was a contract in place. The amendment was just never sent over here for review,” Davis said. He told members UAMS has paid $203,000 to the vendor since the lapse and has outstanding invoices of about $51,000; UAMS requested ratification of those payments and an extension of the contract through October 2026, which would reach the contract’s seven-year limit.

Davis said UAMS has retrained contract staff, hired a new contract director and the CFO has taken steps to prevent recurrence, and he said he would verify whether other similar lapses exist. The chair asked UAMS to confirm whether a broader internal review has been completed to identify any other contracts in the same situation.

The committee placed the ratification request on the committee’s review list for its regular process.