Contract award subject of Ephrata school audit finding

EPHRATA — Ephrata School District officials will review the procedures for awarding some contracts following a report from the Washington Auditor’s Office that said district officials followed the wrong set of rules when awarding a contract.

The audit team concluded the district didn’t have to repay any money.

The team said the issue concerned one transaction in the district’s Title I program. Title I is a federal grant program, and school districts are required to follow the most restrictive rules when awarding contracts. In this case state law is more restrictive, the report said, and requires districts to obtain bids for purchases of more than $75,000.

District officials did obtain bids, the report said, but didn’t advertise for sealed bids, which is, in the opinion of the auditors, required by state law. The district bought equipment in two separate transactions; the individual transactions were less than $75,000, but when added together they were about $92,000.

The reason for the procedure, the report said, is to ensure the district gets the best price for its purchases. In their reply, district officials said they think they did get the best price. District officials got multiple quotes, but “one quote was higher and was from a purchasing (cooperative). If the district purchased from the purchasing co-op this would’ve covered the bid requirements; however, the cost would’ve been higher than the selected vendor.”

District officials said they would build a “flowchart to give to staff with purchasing authority showing the amounts, steps and process for purchasing (and) when quotes are required as well as formal bidding.”

The chart will include information on purchasing options, such as cooperatives that include the district, the report said. In addition, “the business manager will hold training with all staff with purchasing authority” to review purchasing procedures.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.