Sarah Grunau/ Houston Public Media
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is making calls for transparency after a Monday audit showed the Harris County Flood Control District allegedly failed to implement a reformed procurement process for selecting project vendors.
The revelation comes after Hidalgo’s office called for an audit of the flood control district and its selection process following conversations last month about a major funding shortfall on dozens of post-Hurricane Harvey flood projects.
County commissioners last year directed the flood control district, the Harris County Toll Road Authority and the county engineering department to implement written procedures for how the entities select vendors, maintain process documents, and require that county employees involved in the procurement process complete conflict of interest forms.
The guidance was prompted by an earlier 2023 audit that found issues with the flood control district’s procurement process that may have posed “undue risk to Harris County,” according to county documents.
The 2023 audit found that the flood control district failed to document how professional services vendors are evaluated and selected, “meaning there is no written record of why a particular vendor was determined to be the ‘most highly qualified’ vendor for a given contract,” according to the documents.
It also found that the flood control district and commissioner precincts failed to specifically document that individuals involved in the vendor evaluation process do not present a personal or financial conflict of interest.
The flood control district, HCTRA and the engineering department are the only county departments that independently make procurement decisions on projects over $50,000 — with the exception of projects funded by federal dollars. The Harris County Purchasing Agent is responsible for managing that process for other departments and awarding contracts for professional services.
Monday’s audit found that the departments’ independent procurement processes mean that the county lacks tracking and documentation of those contracts. The process of recordkeeping to track the vendor selection process is left solely to the flood control district.
A new policy by the flood control district, implemented in response to the 2023 audit, included specific conflict of interest certifications and a vendor evaluation and scoring process, but the audit asserts it wasn’t implemented until August this year, after the flood control district requested several extensions.
On Monday, Hidalgo said the audit shows there are apparent risks of conflicts of interest in how flood control contracts are awarded.
“The Auditor’s report proves what we’ve known for nearly two years: our current procurement processes put the county and taxpayers at risk,” she said in a statement. “We need transparency and guardrails, so we can get Harris County government in line with basic ethics standards.”
The flood control district, however, argued that the Monday audit covers a transition period during which the flood control district was actively implementing reforms and updating its procedures.
In a statement to Houston Public Media, a spokesperson for the flood control district said the entity categorically rejects any implication of unethical behavior in its contracting processes.
“Our record speaks for itself; every day, our engineers, field staff, and professionals bring their expertise, integrity, and dedication to mitigate flooding for Harris County residents,” according to the statement.
A follow-up audit is planned for next year to review the flood control district’s implementation of process reforms.
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