Mayor Bill White and City Controller Annise Parker today released the results of a Controller’s Office investigation into City of Houston and Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County street projects.

“The results of our review were surprising,” said Controller Parker. “We expected to find that contractors were to blame for most project delays. However, according to our review, a lack of coordination and planning by METRO and the City are the main reasons projects aren’t finished on time.”

According to Mayor White, who had requested the report, “This report of projects completed prior to this administration covering projects initiated largely prior to the stewardship of Director Jon Vanden Bosch, highlights the need for tighter management of project deadlines. Some changes have already been made, including a consolidated tracking of delays in project schedules and grading of contractors and design professionals. We also have initiatives underway to expedite substitutions of sureties and better coordination with utility companies.”

Out of the original sample of 196 construction projects, the audit team selected 25 projects for in depth review, 17 from the City and eight from METRO. These 25 projects finished approximately 5,000 days behind schedule. Nearly 3,000 of the additional days were attributed to project design changes and project coordination issues. Project design changes were caused by the addition of work that was not part of the original design, utility conflicts, inaccurate drawings and the deletion of work from projects. Conflicting work on the same street or delays in the city’s bid process created coordination issues.

The auditors had originally planned to review all projects for the five years prior to June 30, 2003. However, due to time constraints and the lack of a complete and accurate database at the Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering, the scope of the review had to be narrowed to196 projects that were completed or substantially completed during Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003. The auditors noted that there was no logical order to the documentation provided by PW & E, and in many cases, vital information such as completion reports, final payment records, change order forms and design information was not included. METRO’s files were thorough and complete.

Of the 196 projects included in the review, just 14 had to be turned over, or were being turned over, to sureties for completion. Neither the City, nor METRO, has debarred any contractors.

The Controller’s Office embarked on this review at the request of Mayor Bill White. It was a look at the worst cases and never intended to be a comprehensive review. “We hope the findings will provide a framework for organizational and systemic changes for the future. We are pleased to have played a role and willing to assist in this type of analysis in the future,” said the Controller.