191496

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1. The Council finds:

1. In February 2020, Portland Fire and Rescue (“PF&R”) put into effect “Office Furniture Procurement Policy and Process”. The policy was targeted for a subset of PF&R staff who are responsible for purchasing in the bureau to ensure compliance with the City’s procurement code (PCC 5.33) and applicable purchasing policies.
2. October 2021, the then-Commissioner-in-Charge’s Office launched the Community Health Division (CHD) that included Portland Street Response (PSR) Community Health and Treat (CHAT) within the bureau of Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R); adding more than 70 FTE to the division.
3. Due to administrative staff shortages, many tasks required to stand-up new offices were performed by program staff who had not been adequately trained in the City’s procurement policies or PF&R’s “Office Furniture Procurement Policy and Process.”
4. In May 2022, CHD staff initiated direct purchases for furniture from Rose City Furnishings for the new community health programs. The process CHD staff employed did not align with the City’s procurement policies, which requires that the purchase be made through an existing competitively awarded furniture contract.
5. Between August and December of 2022, CHD purchased office furniture from Rose City Furnishings[WK1] , for multiple orders that totaled $161,536 in expenditures.  Once alerted to the concern, PF&R management immediately stopped further orders and began working with OMF Procurement Services to follow appropriate purchasing process for furniture moving forward. Because the initial procurement was not in adherence to City procurement policies, Council authorization is now required to ratify and pay for the furniture that had already been delivered to and accepted by the City.
6. PF&R is seeking authorization through an emergency ordinance to have the ability to pay the vendor, a small, local business, and come to a resolution on this matter as quickly as possible. 
7. Resulting from this situation, PF&R recognized the training needed by CHD program staff and developed enhanced business controls and communicated policies to avoid future miscommunications. Additional procurement process and policy training for PF&R staff is underway.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

1. The Mayor and City Auditor are hereby authorized to draw and deliver payments in the amount of $161,536 to Rose City Furnishings to pay for services rendered.

Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because a delay in proceeding with the solicitation will further delay payment; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by Council.