Sun-Sentinel: DCF procurement chief quits, blasts cutbacks in his staff

December 22, 2004

DCF procurement chief quits, blasts cutbacks in his staff

The Associated Press

December 22, 2004

TALLAHASSEE · The Department of Children & Families' top contracting official

has resigned, issuing a strongly worded missive criticizing the social services

agency's oversight of private companies it does business with.

D. Fierro, DCF's director of contract services, said in his three-page

letter Monday he could no longer manage the state's child welfare, mental

health and domestic violence programs after cutbacks reduced his staff by half.

Fierro strongly criticized a decision by DCF's newly appointed secretary, Lucy

Hadi, to transfer to private companies the lion's share of the monitoring and

oversight of about $1.5 billion in social service contracts. Fierro said the

move carried " far more peril than promise. "

Beset by staff cuts and saddled with often unrealistic demands and " externally

imposed deadlines, " Fierro wrote, contract managers have been forced to

negotiate, draft and supervise agreements with private agencies far too

quickly.

" The public is more often ill-served than well-served by haste in contracting, "

Fierro wrote. " To quote an old adage, `If you want it badly, you get it

badly.' "

Gov. Jeb Bush dismissed Fierro's complaints Tuesday.

" It's really self-serving to resign and send a letter out to the press and have

your supervisors read about it, " Bush said. " We've got some procurement issues,

the guy in charge of procurement leaves, and he blames everybody else. I think,

`Enough said.' "

Bill Spann, DCF's chief of staff, defended the agency's contracting efforts and

said DCF is in the process of upgrading the system.

" We will establish a series of safeguards to ensure that goods and services are

properly, fairly and competitively procured, and that we get the best value

from vendors doing business with the state, " Spann said.

Since last summer, seven top-level DCF officials have resigned or been fired in

the wake of a scandal surrounding allegations of contract-rigging and cronyism.

Among those who have left: former Secretary Jerry Regier and Deputy Secretary

Ben , who had led DCF's technology efforts.

In recent weeks, the state's highest ranking mental health official, as well as

the heads of the state's child abuse hot line and child welfare computer system

also left.

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