As state auditors noted, FAMU doesn't quite have a handle on its outside contracting. Over the past two years, the university has been running up huge budget busting tabs with several vendors, particularly in the Enterprise Information Technology Office.
One vendor, CedarCrestone, claims to currently be owed some $875,000.
Other "consultants" at EIT are also running up huge tabs. Rattler Nation has obtained an internal memo which details another $536,598.75 in consultant fees that EIT has obligated in Feburary and March, 2007.
To help pay the bills, interim president Castell Bryant has been "robbing Peter to pay Paul". She proposed transfering as much as $2.2 million from the University's Title III program to cover EIT bills.
EIT is just one office which has racked up runaway consultant fees, KPMG -- FAMU's other favored contractor-- has also scored not one contract , but at least seven no bid contracts totalling nearly $4.3 million.
The downside of FAMU's large reliance on contractors is that it does nothing to build the internal knowledge and compentency among universitty staff. When, the consulants leave so does the knowledge base and experience.
Click on each picture to enlarge.
Also see:
Contracting gone wild at EIT
Honey chile, you keep digging around you gonna hit da stink!
ReplyDeleteRN, all I can say is "you da bomb"!!!! The state of Florida should hire you to uncover the mess. Your salary should be 500K (and that ain't enough).
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know what these contractors were being paid to actually do? What work did they actually perform/complete? How did this work benefit the university? How did work enhance FAMU students' learning experiences? Are these contrators being hired because we don't have staff to perform the tasks being performed by contractors? Were any of these contractors friends/acquaintances/even relatives of persons in positions of authority at FAMU?
ReplyDeleteThis is scandalous! As someone has already said, with contractors doing all the work there is no enhancement to institutional knowledge,because when the contractors finish their work, they take their knowledge with them. This is ridiculous. This over-use of contractors/consultants is a clear signal that managers made some bad and extremely costly decisions. What a waste!
It also appears that federal monies, in the form of Title III money, were being hijacked to pay for costs that had nothing to do with Title III programs. Is this a mess or what?
ReplyDeleteWaste, fraud and/or abuse--take your pick!
No wonder we've had all these quick, unexpected resignations. And, high-ranking people leaving FAMU like thieves in the night! No wonder.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like somebody got some real serious kickback money! We're talking 6-figure kickback money! These contracts are a bunch of theives' dream machines. This is unreal. But I guess University officials responsible for this debacle thought they'd never get caught. After all, this was FAMU, and nobody is really gonna pay attention to what the_____ are doing, anyhow! "So, let's get all the money we can outta this!"
ReplyDeleteAll this and FAMU's technology sucks!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis Henderson guy needs to go, now!
Still haven't touched on the student loan piggy bank, and the other "ghost" employees (if you could call them that), etc.
ReplyDeleteThe comment that was made when the consultant news first broke 3 weeks ago said it all, but for those of you who missed it, let me say it again:
ReplyDeleteWhat is done in the dark will come to light. For too long, FAMU employees get no say-so in his organization. Their professional opinions are not valued or considered. He's already outsourced the ERP system to IBM, and he's trying to outsource everything else. Since FAMU employees aren't going for this, he's surronded himself with consultants who will rubber stamp anything he does because they're going to paid either way.
BTW - isn't there an IT auditor in the IG's Office who is supposed to make the Mr. Henderson and the leadership aware of risks BEFORE they happen?! Either he was asleep at the wheel, or he's been converted to the dark side. Either way, he needs to go, too.
I agree with the earlier comment, there HAD to be some kickbacks. This kind of mess couldn't have gone on under the radar if there weren't any. This kind of private industry thinking and practice isn't going to go unchecked; Mr. Henderson will have to answer to the BoT on Thursday and ultimately, the taxpayers of Florida.
If my fellow Rattlers can remember when Mr. Henderson came to town, he told us all (President, BoT, etc) that he had experience in successfully implementing the PeopleSoft HR module so we could comply with the State and run our own payroll, do checks, etc. Can anyone count how many times that "Go-Live" had to be pushed back, as well as when the new anticipated "Go-Live" is?
ReplyDelete.........................
I rest my case.
No wonder the faculty can't get basic things like dry erase boards, paper supplies, working copy machines, just basic stuff like that. So many aspects of the university are in the dark ages; it's a darn shame and a human disgrace. High schools, in many respects, function at a more advanced and sophisticated level than what you see at FAMU. I know, because I have been teaching at the university for over ten years, and I also spent several years teaching in public high schools across the nation.
ReplyDeleteHumphries left abruptly as well! He saw the writing on the wall and had to get out!
ReplyDeleteYeah, he saw a crazy ass BoT loaded with Corbin, Lowe, Jenkins, Benjamin, Castell and the like !
ReplyDeleteWhat sane person could work under those circumstances?
Well the cat's are out of the bag and they are scattering, but they won't get far.
ReplyDeleteIt is time for a true investigation from the attorney generals office. Start with J. McMillian who was the first to leave of the leadership team. Castell's personal friend. He is now employeed in Atlanta, coincidental????? Aren't some of the consultant groups from that area?
Don't stop asking questions, it is time to rid our beloved institution of parasites. Let us who really care about FAMU now be rewarded for standing in the gap.
A warning to others who are thinking that they are dispensible,
YOUR TIME IS UP, THE GRAVY TRAIN IS OVER, LAST STOP GET OFF.
I know most people don't want to hear this, but bring back Barney Bishop.
Well, I don't want to go so far as to say that Bishop should come back, which, of course, he won't (or wouldn't), but we must admit that Bishop was correct in most aspects of his argument when he was on the board. I'd always said such a thing. Bishop's arguments were not accepted, because he is not of the correct hue and folks on the BOT just weren't going to have him telling them any such thing as how to run and walk that board. Not by a long shot. But we all knew the man was right about most things. I'm sure he has seen the newspapers' headlines and chuckles to himself and says, "I told them so," and/or, "None of this is a surprise." We all knew it when he was saying it, that the board was not only asleep at the wheel, but it had in fact handed the keys to CVB and she was in he drivers' seat on her way to the Carte Blanche store.
ReplyDeleteRN WE HAVE PAID KPMG ALMOST FIVE MILLION OVER THE PAST FIVE YEAR'S AND OUR BOOKS ARE STILL MESSED UP. WHAT ARE WE PAYING HENDERSON FOR, WHEN YOU CAN'T GET SF MODULE TO POST TO YOUR GENERAL LEDGER? HALF OF FAMU MONIES IS LOCK OUT THERE IN LA LA LAND. IF YOU DIG A LITTLE DEEPER YOU MIGHT FIND A HOLD TRUCK LOAD. GOING ON PAYROLL! THAT'S A JOKE. CONTRACTOR'S KNOWLEDGE ( YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING) THEY ARE SUCKING FAMU DRY.
ReplyDeleteThere's been some very "fishy" things going on with FAMU's money. In his memo dated May 11, 2007, just 11 days ago, Rufus Little is alerting the "gods-that-were" that there were five invoices that needed to be added to "the spreadsheet;" and, that there were three "consulting firms" that performed work, as far back as January, but these same firms had not yet submitted invoices (and, this memo was written this month!). Something is very "fishy" about all of this. Especially those three consultants who worked in January and April of this year, but as late as the month of May, they had not submitted invoices to the University? Are people supposed to be fools? What serious consultant or consulting firm would not invoice a client as soon as the job is completed? This is crazy. Is it that Rufus was telling the "in-group" somebody needed to create or make-up some invoices totaling $95,000? Is that's what's going on? What consulting firm is named "Borders?" What consulting firm is named "MIS?" And, of course, what consulting firm is named "Presidio?" Smells like fish to me. Looks like a good case of invoice padding, so that people could get their kickbacks before they were all forced to leave and could no longer makeup invoices!
ReplyDeleteLooks like lots of room for some real, real serious investigations here. The BOT, the Transition Team, and the Task Force all need to be looking at this situation, right now.
'Nuff said!
nooo...the BOT needs to resign...they brought her 2 famu
ReplyDeletedont get it twisted...bishop was getting his feel on also...like that bogus housing arrangement with booth properties
ReplyDelete^^^... So you saying FAMU was everybody's hoe? ^^^
ReplyDelete^^^... So you saying FAMU was everybody's hoe? ^^^
ReplyDelete5/22/2007 10:03 PM
DING-DING-DING-DING-DING!!!! And what prizes do we have for them today, Johnny?
I'm saying let the State Attorney begin an investigation and federal if needed.
ReplyDeleteIt's trash to pay such a huge sum to those freaky contractors from the federal money.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we get fuc....
Benny @ web design
Just to enlighten you, the Booth properties agreement was investigated by the State. They found nothing and Castell received the results of the investigation and kept it quiet because it would make her and Lizzie look like fools. Castell created and lied for months about the "state of FAMU's Finances" just to call attention away from what she was going to do later. Then, she created the "Surplus Lie" and the BOT gave her a bonus before the books were even audited. Can you read the story line now. She pulled the wool over the eyes of the public including the legislature. This story need be written and a movie made of the "The Fate of FAMU after the Humphries Years" or From "College of the Year in 1997 to College of Destruction by 2007". It was Castell and Corbin trying to draw attention away from their intention of "thievery and bogus cotracting". People, all of this deficit talk when she came to work in 2005 was just a front because she had come to accomplish just what she did. All of these suppose to be contractors were pay-back to her friends and the implementation of Jebby privatization plan for the State of Florida. This was the Plan and CVB was sent in to implement it because she was a dumb woman in need of attention to drive this once successful institution into the Ground.
ReplyDeleteThe BOT needs to just issue a "Stop Payment" on ALL Consulting payments until ALL of these potential "ghost consultants" are checked and verified for just WTF have they ALL been doing and geting paid to perform ...
ReplyDeleteMuch like how the infamous Payroll Audit was performed.
Most of the investigations were smoke and mirrors to hide the real looting. Every investigation, including the castigation of Luney and the Law School, left the situation worse and the actual criminals with their hands in FAMU's pocket.
ReplyDeleteto anon 5/23/2007 8:04 AM
ReplyDeletejust because the state investigations cleared the booth agreement doesn't mean it was not a good deal. 1st: bishop is a very powerful lobbyist, so any investigation by the state towards him is gonna have him cleared. 2nd: the booth property deal sucked millions of dollars from the housing budget.
Okay, wasn't it Corbin and Gainous who blessed the Booth Dealings with housing. In all honesty, Booth did not force anyone to do business with them. Just as KPMG and other did not force Castell to give them large no bid illegal contracts with them. Barney Bishop position as a powerful lobbyist does not shield him from being investigated or charged. As you can recently recall, the most powerful legislator in the state went to jail; the one that is from Pensacola.
ReplyDeleteoh, yeah, 9:56, I forgot about the housing gig involving Bishop. He had his hands in the pocket of the devil as well. (The 7:31 post was mine, also.)
ReplyDeleteI beleive Castell found some of her adminstration in the internet chat room
ReplyDeleteSo is that wench Castell going to jail or not?
ReplyDeleteKickbacks? The consultants aren't that generous. Check out the tasks "provide assistance" -- that means they take NO responsibility for making sure what they do works, because they were only assisting FAMU, and aren't responsible for the outcome. This is statewide, folks, not just FAMU. All the SUS schools are pouring millions into the pockets of consultants. Let's see some more detailed reporting, please.
ReplyDelete