City Controller's Office Implements New Oversight Measures of Harvey-Related Contracting and Procurement
The Office of the Houston City Controller has implemented additional financial oversight measures in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The new measures seek to prevent fraud, waste and abuse, and maximize transparency across all recovery-related efforts.
“This is going to be an extensive – and expensive – recovery,” said Houston City Controller Chris Brown. “These new oversight measures will help us keep stringent financial oversight of recovery-related procurement, and ensure the city maximizes the impact of every dollar during this rebuilding process.”
The new measures include:
- Establishing the Harvey Recovery Oversight Committee;
- Broadening audit reach and capabilities; and
- Requiring recovery designation in all invoicing and procurement
Comprised of Controller’s Office staff and external partners, the Harvey Recovery Oversight Committee (HROC) will review all recovery-related procurement, contracts, and invoices; and will help identify all fraud and waste in the contracting process. The Controller’s Office will also engage the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General in fraud cases involving federal dollars.
Members of the Harvey Recovery Oversight Committee (HROC) are:
- Controller Chris Brown, Chair of Harvey Recovery Oversight Committee
- Courtney Smith, City Auditor
- Shannan Nobles, Chief Deputy Controller
- Alex Obregon, Deputy Controller of Operations & Technical Services
- A representative from the office of David J. Green, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General
- Christine Lally, Stinnett & Associates
- Michael Porier, Protiviti
- Gary Horn, Horn Solutions
- John Sorrells, Horn Solutions
The Controller’s Office will also broaden the scope of its Audit division’s capabilities related to recovery-related contracting. The Controller’s Office will work with the city’s Legal Department to ensure that audit provisions are included in all recovery-related agreements, and recovery-specific audits will be conducted on an ongoing, ad-hoc basis. The annual audit plan will also be updated to reflect the new focus on recovery-related contracting.
The Controller’s Office will also require that all agreements and invoices be specifically designated for recovery efforts. A link on the City Controller’s website will be dedicated to recovery-related financial records, which will include a list of all Hurricane Harvey related contracts.
For more information on the Controller’s Office and its role in the ongoing recovery efforts, please visit: https://www.houstoncontroller.org.