Panel Asks Reasons for Purchase Reform Delay

Upset at delays in implementing reforms of the city’s purchasing system, a Los Angeles City Council panel on Wednesday asked department managers to explain their resistance to cooperating.

The council’s Government Efficiency Committee directed that managers of the water and power, airport and harbor departments appear at the panel’s next session to say why they would not participate in key aspects of the reform effort.

The Times reported Tuesday that savings have fallen far short of the $35 million annually that was promised four years ago when Los Angeles voters approved a purchasing reform measure.

The DWP has decided not to join the rest of the city’s purchasing and warehousing systems, citing its own needs and a conflict in computer software.

Frank Salas, a DWP spokesman, said the agency will wait to see how effective the reforms are before deciding whether to reconsider its decision to opt out of the warehouse and purchasing consolidation program.

But council members Joel Wachs, Laura Chick and Mark Ridley-Thomas said they need better reasons for the DWP’s decision, given that it was counted on for half of the $35 million in savings.

“It’s inexcusable that they are not participating,” Wachs said Wednesday during a hearing on the matter. “If any department needs to save money, it’s them. But they are really territorial over there.”

Chick said the DWP needs to follow the example of the Fire Department, which after some initial resistance has agreed to participate. The harbor and airport agencies have opted out of the warehouse consolidation but plan to share in contracts as part of the purchasing reform.