An Audit Report on PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND TENANT SERVICES January 2019 Project # 20190201
Executive Summary Property Management provides management and tenant services for approximately 88 state agencies housed in 74 state owned facilities. The Office of Internal Audit reviewed the program s processes to determine the extent to which property management and tenant services goals are accomplished efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with relevant regulations, interagency agreement and procedures. Our review did not identify any high-risk issues related to property management functions, however opportunities for improvement were identified in the following areas: Some tenant requested work orders are miss-directed. Emergency has not been defined to guide tenants when to call the 24/7 line. The tenant manual requires updating. Property Management and expenditure reimbursements (relating to HB 3042 reconciliation) lack current well-defined policies and procedures to guide staff through their day-to-day duties. The program lacks formal (written) goals and performance measures. Summary of Management s Response Management concurs with all assessments and recommendations made by the Internal Audit team. We appreciate the collaborative spirit of the process and the care taken by the auditors to truly understand the program s function, goals, and staff. Additionally, we value the attention this report brings to deficiencies we are working to correct. Management wishes to thank the auditors for their attention, flexibility, understanding, and support. Background Pursuant to Texas Government Code, Sections 2165.001 and 2165.002, the Texas Legislature has assigned TFC with the charge and control of certain public buildings, grounds, and property and responsibility for its proper care and protection from damage, intrusion, or improper use. In addition, Texas Government Code, Section 2165.007 requires TFC to provide facility management services to all state-owned properties in Travis County and adjacent counties unless specifically exempted by law. TFC also manages all state-owned property on its inventory regardless of its location. Property Management staff consists of a manager, a contract administrator, five property managers, a maintenance supervisor and 16 building technicians which manage facilities and provide tenant services for approximately 88 state agencies and approximately 17.7 million square feet of state-owned office space, parking garages, and parking lots valued at $1.5 billion. i
A tenant manual has been created to provide tenant agencies with policy and procedures for the day-to-day operations and activities within state-owned facilities managed by TFC or its contractors. Closing We would like to thank management and staff in Property Management, Fiscal, and the contract management staff within the PREM division for the cooperation and assistance provided to audit staff during this review. For questions or additional information concerning this audit report, or to obtain a hard copy of this TFC Audit Report, please contact TFC s Office of Internal Audit at 512-463-6875. ii
Detailed Results Contents 1. Miss-Directed Tenant Requested Work Orders... 1 2. Emergency Not Defined for Tenants... 2 3. Tenant Manual Update... 3 4. Policies... 4 5. Goals and Performance Measures... 5 Appendices Appendix 1 Objective, Scope, and Methodology... 6 Appendix 2 Report Distribution... 7
1. Miss-Directed Tenant Requested Work Orders Tenants request services through a Work Order System (WOS) Web Request. The current interface to this system is confusing. The tenant is required to select what type of service they want without benefit of a description of the different service options. This may lead to the tenant created work orders being sent to the wrong agency specialty. Once miss-directed to the wrong specialty, the work order must be forwarded to the correct specialty for the tenant s request to be addressed. Additionally, work orders are identified as having been assigned once the printed box is checked in the system. If the miss-directed work order is printed but not forwarded to the correct specialty, it is not likely to be discovered as it is assumed to have been assigned to someone already. This has led to tenants re-creating work orders when their request was not addressed and creating duplicate work orders within the system. Recommendations Management should consider re-designing the work order system s interface to make it more user friendly for tenants and develop a process to better determine when a work order has been assigned. Management Action Planned: Management concurs with the assessment. We are working with the Work Order System (WOS) administrators on a redesign to make the front end of the system more intuitive. We are utilizing benchmarks with the private sector best practices and systems to inform our recommendations for improvement. By grouping individual services into larger topics, we can make it easier for tenants to find the most appropriate service for their needs. By streamlining the submission process and including descriptions, mouse-over content, and informational links we can reduce confusion. Less confusion on the part of submitters translates into fewer misdirected service requests and reduces unnecessary delays by responding technicians. Already in progress is a mobile version of our system for back-end users with tools to better assign tasks and identify to whom they are assigned. The mobile interface will enable technicians to close services requests immediately upon completion which improves the quality and timeliness of the feedback provided to the submitters. Improving information flow will go a long way towards reducing the number of duplicate service requests. Responsible Parties: Manager of Property Management and Tenant Services TFC Applications Manager January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 1
Estimated Completion Date: 12/31/2019 2. Emergency Not Defined for Tenants TFC has a 24-hour maintenance line tenants call when they need emergency service. This line is answered by a dispatcher that obtains the caller s name, contact information, and description and location of the emergency. The dispatcher calls the appropriate specialty to assist the tenant, the property manager, and any other service required and gives the tenant an estimate of when help will arrive. Once the tenant s immediate needs are addressed the dispatcher creates a work order, prioritized as an emergency, within the system. The work order is used to record the issue and track actions taken to resolve it. Approximately 30% of calls coming in on this line are not an emergency. The 24-hour emergency phone number is listed within the tenant manual and on the agency s property management webpage, but there is no description or criteria for tenants to use to determine what is an emergency and when it is appropriate to call the 24-hour line. The program s management is aware of the issue and is developing a definition of what classifies as an emergency which tenants can use to determine when to call the 24-hour line. Recommendation Management should continue the development of the emergency definition and post it on the agency s website and include it in the next tenant manual update. Management Action Planned: Management concurs. We have compiled a working definition of what constitutes an emergency and will link to it from the service request submission page. We will also include the information in the updated tenant manual. Responsible Parties: Manager of Property Management and Tenant Services TFC Applications Manager Estimated Completion Date: 6/30/2019 January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 2
3. Tenant Manual Update The tenant manual provides necessary information to TFC managed building tenants. To be useful information needs to be accurate and current. The Tenant Manual was last updated in January 2016. Five of the property management contacts listed within the manual have left the agency. Further, discussions with program area staff and management indicate other information within the tenant manual is not current and needs updating. Recommendation Management should review tenant manual and update where necessary. Additionally, as staff occasionally change positions or leave the agency management should consider not listing specific property managers within the manual but instead directing tenants to the agency s site which lists the specific property managers and is easily updated as changes occur. Management Action Planned: Management concurs and will begin the updating and revision process of the document, including the removal of property assignments. Our philosophy is that the Tenant Manual is a guide for both tenant and TFC. It is the tool by which both parties are held accountable, and the general governing guidelines for our relationship as owner and occupant. It is critical that the Tenant Manual be accurate, comprehensive, and intuitively organized. Our program will work with a wide range of TFC staff to ensure that their knowledge, processes, procedures, and requirements are taken into consideration and translated accurately into an accessible document. Responsible Parties: Manager of Property Management and Tenant Services Estimated Completion Date: 12/31/2019 January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 3
4. Policies Property Management and expenditure reimbursements (relating to HB 3042 reconciliation) lack current well-defined procedures to guide staff through their day-to-day duties. Recommendation Program and fiscal management should develop relevant written procedures to provide guidance to staff to perform their duties. These processes should be reviewed, ideally, at least every two years, and updated as necessary. Management Action Planned: Fiscal Management concurs with the assessment. Fiscal has been understaffed since February 2018 and prior staff did not provide appropriate written procedures. Fiscal is currently hiring staff and will assign the HB 3042 Reconciliation to a dedicated staff person. The dedicated staff person responsibilities will monthly reconciliation, vendor billings and development and maintenance of procedures. Program Management concurs and will develop functional written procedures which will be disseminated and enforced to ensure compliance. Responsible Parties: Fiscal Budget Department in Fiscal Division Program Manager of Property Management and Tenant Services Estimated Completion Date: Fiscal 12/31/2019 Program 12/31/2019 January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 4
5. Goals and Performance Measures The program s goals to provide safe, healthy, functional, and attractive space to tenants appear reasonable and in-line with the program s and agency s responsibilities to tenants. These goals are informal (unwritten) but would provide an excellent foundation for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-related (SMART) goals and performance measures. Recommendation Management should develop SMART goals to provide direction to program staff and develop related performance measures to determine the program s effectiveness towards those goals. Management Action Planned: Management concurs. Program goals are a critical tool to ensure all team members are moving in the right direction. Property Managers exercise a lot of latitude with daily decision-making and SMART goals ensure that these hundreds of little decisions reinforce each other rather than working at odds. Especially in a time of transition - as this program is - staff members need to have a clear understanding of the new direction, empowering them to make consistent and confident decisions. The program will meet every two weeks to (among other things) create, discuss, and track progress on these goals. Responsible Parties: Manager of Property Management and Tenant Services Estimated Completion Date: 12/31/2019 January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 5
Appendix 1 Objective, Scope, and Methodology Objective The overall objective of this audit was to determine the extent to which agency processes ensure property management and tenant services goals are accomplished efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with relevant regulations, interagency agreements, and procedures. Scope The audit focused primarily on property management and tenant services performed by the agency, not contractors, within the Travis County area January 2017 through August 2018. Methodology Audit fieldwork was performed September 2018 through October 2018. We conducted this performance audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Our evidence-gathering methods included the following: We reviewed the tenant manual. We reviewed program documentation. We performed interviews with program management and staff. We reviewed program policies and procedures. We performed testing as appropriate. The following auditors performed the audit: David Ramos Donna Steadman, CPA, CISA, CIA January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 6
Appendix 2 Report Distribution Internal Distribution Commissioners William Allensworth Steve Alvis Patti C. Jones Rigoberto "Rigo" Villarreal C. Price Wagner Senior Management Mike Novak, Executive Director Naomi Gonzalez, Interim General Counsel Daniel Benjamin, Interim Chief Financial Officer Program Area Kevin Myers, Director of Property Management Services, PREM External Distribution Legislative Budget Board audit@lbb.state.tx.us Governor s Office Email Drop Box internalaudits@governor.state.tx.us State Auditor s Office iacoordinator@sao.state.tx.us Sunset Advisory Commission sunset@sunset.state.tx.us TFC Mission Statement The Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) mission is to support state government through strategic planning, asset management, design, construction, maintenance, and leasing of state facilities and the reallocation and/or disposal of state and federal surplus. Office of Internal Audit s Mission Statement Our mission is to enhance and protect organizational value by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight. January 2019 Review of Property Management and Tenant Services Page 7