Bill Text: HI HCR178 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The Auditor To Perform A Fiscal And Management Audit Of The Office Of School Facilities And Support Services Of The Department Of Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-29 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Aquino, Oshiro, Say, Thielen excused (4). [HCR178 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-HCR178-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	178
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO PERFORM A FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT AUDIT OF THE OFFICE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Office of School Facilities and Support Services of the Department of Education is responsible for the planning, design, and construction of all new facilities; planning, design, and construction of the renovation of all existing facilities; and maintenance of school grounds and all existing facilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, a lack of communication among the administration of a school, the Department of Education's project manager and designer, and the Department of Education's design consultant during the plan-and-design phase of a project, the construction of a new facility, or the renovation of an existing facility has historically resulted in:

 

     (1)  A plan-and-design phase that exceeds two years before the project is open for bid, which places the funds for construction in jeopardy of lapsing;

 

     (2)  Numerous change orders during construction; and

 

     (3)  A final construction cost that significantly exceeds the initial estimated project cost for which the Legislature appropriated funds; and

 

     WHEREAS, a lack of and inconsistency in site visitation by the project manager, designer, and project inspector during the construction process has resulted in miscommunication as to what the school desired and what was designed, thereby resulting in a delay in construction as well as the same errors being encountered in future projects with the same scope of work; and

     WHEREAS, there are no existing as-built drawings on file at the schools, the district offices of the Department of Education, or the central office of the Department of Education that show the location of all structures on campus or the location of all above- and below-ground utilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is no matrix for any of the facilities on a school campus to indicate when the facility was built and when and what type of maintenance or renovation work was performed on the facility; and

 

     WHEREAS, a review of recent bids submitted indicates that:

 

     (1)  An estimate of approximately $950,000 was submitted for the construction of a 24-foot x 40-foot portable classroom, with no amenities other than a fire alarm system and no legitimate explanation as to why a modular portable classroom, which could cost about one-half the construction cost submitted in the bid, could not be used instead; and

 

     (2)  An estimate of approximately $1,200,000 was submitted for the construction of a 96-stall, asphalt-concrete parking lot,

 

the costs of which appear to be greater than what was desired; and

 

     WHEREAS, inspections of school campuses have shown that existing one-story buildings that are built next to tall shower or monkey pod trees often have their gutters clogged with fallen leaves and branches, or trees are growing on the roof of the building or in the gutter; and

 

WHEREAS, these numerous issues could be addressed by a comprehensive review by a third party; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to perform a fiscal and management audit of the Office of School Facilities and Support Services of the Department of Education; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the fiscal and management audit focus on:

 

     (1)  Whether a lack of communication, lack of field inspection prior to planning and design, lack of as-built drawings, and lack of a matrix of existing facilities has resulted in a prolonged planning and design phase, numerous change orders, and increased construction costs;

 

     (2)  Whether the lack of a matrix of existing facilities and lack of timely, proper inspection of existing facilities have resulted in premature repair costs; and

 

     (3)  Whether the State's procurement law may be artificially increasing the cost of construction or impeding projects from being completed in a timely manner; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Chairperson of the Board of Education; Superintendent of Education; and Assistant Superintendent, Office of School Facilities and Support Services of the Department of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Office of School Facilities and Support Services of the Department of Education; Fiscal and Management Audit