LIHU‘E — An audit of the Kilauea Gym project suggests that loss of experienced staff is hindering the ability of the Department of Public Works’ Building Division to execute capital projects. Kaua‘i County Auditor Ernesto Pasion said Monday that a
LIHU‘E — An audit of the Kilauea Gym project suggests that loss of experienced staff is hindering the ability of the Department of Public Works’ Building Division to execute capital projects.
Kaua‘i County Auditor Ernesto Pasion said Monday that a 2005 audit of the division produced 97 recommendations and that, to date, around 56 of them have been implemented.
A report issued by his office this month as a follow-up audit of the Public Works Department notes a 19 percent staff vacancy rate as of April 2011, with a collective loss of 116 years of experience in the building division and supporting departments.
“The major reason for the decline is that the county has lost experienced employees in the building division and departments supporting building activities, and has not implemented the recommendations that address problems caused by the loss of experience,” Pasion said.
The county audit focused on the Kilauea Gym project as an example where recommendations of the original report still need implementation. It said technical training and policy updates are needed to avoid risk and ensure cost control on projects.
Staffing conditions might be contributing to problems in communications and operations, according to the report.
“We found that the majority of the recommendations made by the prior audit were implemented, but the conditions noted in the Kilauea Gym audit have worsened,” Pasion said.
There is a concern of a negative effect when personnel or positions are used for projects outside core functions, he added.
The audit recommended that the division increase technical training and follow through with recommendations in bidding and contracting, polices and procedures, documentation and operations.
Partially completed goals include the Construction Specification Institute standard for pre-bid architectural and construction projects that is now in place. There is still work to be done in applying an updated contractual process, he added.
The recommended procurement process updates include using a standardized questionnaire form and adopting the five-bid minimum process for major projects. Division concerns were about costs and delays associated with low response and having to repeat the bidding process.
“We agree with the division that it should not implement these recommendations at this time,” the report stated, and instead called for flexible interim goals with regard to the bidding process.
In the area of project documentation, the audit said the division has an interim general standard provision for construction contracts nearly in place. The audit called for improved accountability procedures earlier in the process, and to utilize specialized expertise to avoid straining internal resources.
A full 26 of 33 construction management recommendations were carried out. The audit said four more are needed to meet contractor safety and employee concerns.
The area of division operations received the most criticism. Only 13 of 36 recommendations were implemented.
The audit encouraged a Web-based internal and external communications system. Technical training is also needed for better budgeting and documentation for reports and inspections.
The audit recommended that the county pursue policy decisions to implement contract monitoring, inspection and management of major county and commercial construction projects. It also called for increased staff and equipment and to assign zoning issues to examiners.
The audit was conducted by an external engineering consultant for the county auditor’s staff. It was presented to the Kaua‘i County Council last June as the first of three to assess county contract and construction management of capital projects.
The report this month thanked the purchasing division of the Department of Finance and the building division of the Department of Public Works for information contributed for use in the report.
The two reports to follow will focus on the Kaiakea Fire Station and Phase One of the 2006-2007 county road maintenance project.
A comment from the county engineer was not available by press time.
• Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@ thegardenisland.com.
