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Audit finds MCPS emergency procurements for crisis communications bypassed policy
Summary
The OIG reported MCPS used emergency procurement to award two crisis-management contracts totaling $210,000 but did not meet the district's emergency-procurement policy; councilmembers pressed for clearer accountability and process changes.
The Audit Committee reviewed an OIG investigation that concluded Montgomery County Public Schools improperly used emergency-procurement procedures to secure crisis-management services.
Inspector General Ms. Lamarzi told the committee the board approved two contracts for $105,000 each (totaling $210,000) under emergency procurement. The OIG found required documentation and approvals were missing and that the procurements did not meet MCPS policy standards for emergency purchases, which the district’s policy restricts to protection of life, personal safety, or property.
The complaint prompted an evaluation of whether the district followed its own emergency rules. "Emergency procurements under MCPS policy are allowed when an emergency may arise in order to protect personal safety, life, or property," Ms. Lamarzi said. The OIG concluded the crisis-management contracts were not supported by the necessary documentation and approvals to qualify as emergency purchases.
Robert Riley, Deputy Chief of Finance, acknowledged the district ‘‘missed the mark’’ and described planned technical and process improvements, including updating justification forms, incorporating contract-recovery checks into procure-to-pay verification (the "3-way match"), and software upgrades (ERP) to strengthen controls.
Council members asked whether these changes include meaningful accountability and whether general counsel and the board were sufficiently involved. Riley said expanded review points and training are being added but that no disciplinary actions had been reported in connection with the procurement.
The committee requested a count of emergency procurements and retroactive approvals since 2021 to understand the scope of retroactive emergency use and asked MCPS to specify the controls and timelines by which changes will be implemented.
Provenance: OIG presentation and MCPS finance response were on record during the Audit Committee meeting.
