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Because District officials did not request proposals for professional services, they may have paid more than necessary. Also, officials cannot provide assurance to taxpayers that they acquired these services without favoritism. What Do We Recommend? The Board should: 1. Present future capital project plans in a more transparent manner and provide voters with detailed descriptions of the improvements to be made, including alternate “wish list” items. 2. Actively monitor District projects, including reviewing and approving all change orders. Also, the Board should include all relevant project information in its meeting minutes. 3. Update the purchasing policy and procedures to clearly state the dollar threshold for using an RFP process for professional services, who is responsible for requesting proposals, how many proposals should be obtained, what selection process should be used and how RFP actions should be documented. The Board President should: 4. Approve all change orders in accordance with SED requirements. The Board and District officials should: 5. Comply with the District’s purchasing policy and statutory requirements by carefully evaluating change orders, to help ensure similar work is appropriately aggregated, and by determining when officials should obtain bids for contracts or competitive quotes for purchases. 6. Send change order certifications to SED in a timely manner and ensure the certifications contain all required approvals. 7. Consider following SED’s best practice guidance and contact SED to discuss change orders before completing the work. 8. Comply with the District’s purchasing policy by obtaining and retaining documentation when using RFPs for professional services. Of f ic e of t he New York State Comptroller 9